The introduction of modern mining techniques, especially for placer deposits, is crucial not only for enhancing the socioeconomic conditions of the communities engaged in this industry but also for mitigating environmental and health risks. “The authorities should promote the use of closed-circuit amalgamators for removing harmful elements like mercury from placer gold,” stresses Muhammad Yaqub Shah, a principal scientist with an Islamabad-based mining company. Talking to WealthPK, he said scientific methods like closed-circuit operations could help secure 70% of gold/silver after removing mercury, which can also be reused without causing any environmental or health hazards.

In Pakistan, he said placer mining starts in the headwaters, from where the mighty River Indus originates. He added that this sort of mining is called Artisanal Small-scale Mining (ASM) – through which mostly gold is extracted from alluvium. He said alluvium was also rich in concentrates of heavy metals associated with gold like zinc, copper, cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury, which can also be extracted if proper mining methods are adopted. “If these metals are not treated well, they can lead to health risks and environmental pollution.”

Yaqub Shah explained that to extract gold/silver from alluvium, it is mixed with mercury in an appropriate proportion called amalgam. “It is further heated to recover gold or silver. The process is done in the open air. After leaving gold/silver behind, mercury is released into the air, water and soil.” Yaqub Shah said gold washers were often quite oblivious to the harmful aspects of this method as they inhaled toxic air when they mixed mercury with alluvium to extract gold and silver.

Concluding the discussion, he said the government must stop the use of mercury to extract gold from placer deposits. However, he said as this sector provides a sustainable source of income to a large number of families, especially in the northern areas of Pakistan, it is not possible for the government to provide alternative jobs to these people. However, he said the authorities can provide necessary training and safety kits to the people to avoid health complications while mining the placer deposits.

Mining of placer gold is a good source of livelihood for people, but it is also a prominent source of pollution. A report published by the UN Environment Programme and UN Industrial Development Project says that between 10 and 19 million people use mercury to mine for gold in more than 70 countries, making mercury pollution from ASM a global issue. The authorities in Pakistan should develop this sector by providing the people with low-cost equipment to extract precious minerals/metals from placer deposits without causing any undue harm to their health and environment.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)