Geologist  (Sr.), Geological Survey of India, Western Region, Jaipur

INTRODUCTION

Makrana (27^º02’25” N latitude, 74^º43’44”E longitude) is situated at eastern margin of the Thar desert and has an ancient marble mining history.  The Makrana marble has made a perceptible dent in marble industry because of its blockability, whiteness, high CaO 50-56 %, low MgO 0.90–177 %, as compared to other marbles of Rajasthan (Table - 3), good polishing character and lustre. It is fine grained and exhibits stable, well distributed colours, pleasing and attractive designs and patterns. The translucent varieties of Makrana marble are preferred over other marbles for monumental and sculpture work (IBM 1993).

GEOMORPHOLOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL SET-UP

Geomorphologically, the area is represented by strike ridges, sand  sheets, anthropogenic overburden mounds, slurry dumps and deep pits.  Drainage in the mining area is mostly internal. Major part of the area is covered by mobile to semi stable, NNW-SSE to NE-SW trending sand dunes which overlie calcareous sand pseudo-conglomerate, kankar or gypsite bed of Quaternary period.  Marble is exposed on surface in the central part, whereas overburden varies upto 15 m in the northern and the southern part of the area.

General slope in the mining area is towards west and northwest.  Ground water in the area occur under water table condition and mining at present is below water table in old mines.  Water table is 30-40 m below ground level.  Ground water from the mines is released in open lands and agricultural fields. 

Makrana marble deposits belong to Ajmer Formation of Kumbhalgarh Group of the Delhi Supergroup (Pareek, 1984; G.S.I. 1997).  Five prominent marble bands occur in the area west of Makrana.  From east to west these are known as (1) Devi-Gunawati range (2) Dungri range (3) Pink range, (4) Makrana Kumhari range, and (5) Borawar Kumhari range with band I and II (Natani, 2001).  The different marble bands have formed due to tight isoclinal folding. The mining ranges are known by different names in different blocks (Fig. 1).  At present mines extend from Matabhar in the north to Bilu-Mored in the south (approximately 13 km) along the strike and from Gunawati in the east to Borawar in the west (about 1.6 km) across the strike.  Matabhar, Kalanada, Kolhadungri and Bilu-Mored are new mining areas.  Details of various marble bands/mining ranges exposed around Makrana are given in Table - 4.

MINING RELATED ACTIVITIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT

Open cast mining, marble processing, solid waste generation and its disposal, trading and transport of marble blocks, slabs and irregular marble pieces (khandas), and art and craft work are important activities in Makrana mining area.  Quarrying is by conventional rope and bucket method and the quarries run along the strike and dip of marble bands.  Large scale land transformations, unscientific mining, unsegregated waste dmps, incompatible land uses and improper waste disposal have caused land degradation, ponding and flooding of water, visual impact, loss of aesthetics, pollution, health and safety hazards.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY

The impact assessment was done by means of a semi quantitative graded matrix (Leopold, Clark et. al. 1979) to assess the over all impact of mining and related activities on environment. Matrix method basically incorporates a list of project activities or actions, which affect the environment (listed in columns in matrix table) and environmental parameters (listed in rows) as shown in the Table-1. Environmental parameters were weighted so that they could be correlated to each other in terms of relative importance. Positive and negative signs were assigned to the impact value of each parameter to show beneficial and adverse impacts respectively. The impact values were assigned as per scheme shown below :

Impact value of each parametre was multiplied by the weightage values allotted to the corresponding parametre. This gave final score in terms of environmental impact units. Summing up the final score gave environmental impact assessment of the entire project / mining area. Significance of total environmental impact score is given in table 2.

The environmental impact assessment followed identification and quantification of impacts. The project activities which have impacts on various environmental parametres in Makrana are enumerated below and quantified in Table-1 and 2.

* - Local names prevalent in mining community for waste rocks.

Table : 1 -  Importance value of Environmental Parameters-Makrana

Ranking on impact scale

0          -    No impact, 1 -Slight impact, 2  - Appreciable impact,3 -Significant impact, 4       -           Major impact, 5 -Severe / Permanent impact.

Table-2 :  Environmental impact Matrix of Makrana mining area  (without mitigative measures)

ASSESSMENT VALUE INDEX

Table – III Chemical Composition of important marble deposits of Rajasthan and world

Data source 

*   IBM  Market Survey Series  MS : 1993,

**      Heron  1953  p 165

 ***   Petti John 1949, p. 314, 

+        Natani 2001

N.A – Not Analysed/Not available

Table – 4 Details of Various Marble Bands / Mining Ranges Exposed Around Makrana, Nagaur District; Rajasthan

* Quarrying is at or near water table in most of the mines. General quarry level is 50 m - 70 m.

** Actual lease hold is smaller than 5 m ´ 3 m in old mines (Bapi mines).

1.     Total lease hold area 352.37 Ha (DMG, Makrana)

2.     Communication from Makrana Vypar Mandal

3.     Total number of mines / lease holds is 819 as per DMG, Makrana as on March, 1998.

4.     Total numbers of operating mines - more than 1000 as per verbal Communication from Makrana Vyapar Mandal.

5.     Best quality white marble with 90% whiteness from Chausira mines is sold at a price range from Rs.300/- to 900/- per sq.ft. Brown and grey Albeta

Marble is sold at price ranging from Rs. 90/- to Rs.300/- sq.ft.

CONCLUSION

        Significant conclusions emerging out of this study are:

1.   Increase in spread of mining area, waste dumps and built up land is indicated in temporal analysis of visually interpreted aerial photographs of September 1967 and January 1976 and Geocoded satellite immagey of February 1998. This increase is at the expense of agricultural land, open lands, ponds and pasture land over last 20-30 years.

2.   Occurrence of marble in steep dipping parallel bands and small lease holds prevent mechanisation. Due to small and deep mining pits, disposal of waste is not restricted to the excavated area only. Waste dumps dot the mining area throughout from Mata Bhar in the north to Bilu-Mored in the south and from Gunavati in the east to Borawar Kumhari in the west.

3.   Unmechanised mining on small lease holds and blasting results in high waste generation and resource wastage in the area.

4.   Mining muck, over burden dumps and slurry dumps are not segregated in the area. Slurry disposal is done on contract basis due to which contractors dispose of the marble slurry in open lands, agricultural land, ponds and even on road side near the processing plants without giving due regard to aesthetics and pollution aspects.

5.   Designated sites for marble slurry (Pandu) disposal are not properly sited and are insufficient.

6.   Afforestation and compensatory forestry has not been undertaken in the mining area.

7.   No effort has been made for stabilisation of waste dumps. Waste dumps have developed rills and Gullys. Washouts from waste dumps and slurry dumps are contaminating soil and ground water resources in the immediate vicinity of waste dumps. Soil samples show slight increase in Ca, SO₄, Na, TiO₂ and Mg content of soils in the immediate vicinity of dumps. Ground water samples show appreciable increase in Ca, SO₄, NO₃, Mg, TDS and SiO₂ values of the water samples of mine pit water and slurry laden water.

8.   Kala Nada is a point source of ground water contamination in the area and poses severe threat for the health and hygiene of people living in Makrana and adjoining villages.

9.   Improper mining and non-enforcement of safety rules and mining laws is causing loss of life and public property in the area. Incidents like Chuck dungri railway line collapse can again occur in near future if safety rules are not followed strictly and preventive measures are not taken.

10. Though the Government receives a revenue of thirteen crores rupees per annum from the mining and related activities, there is no improvement in basic civic amenities like roads, good schools, park, potable drinking water supply, hospitals, electricity etc.

11. Complete lack of vegetation screens and indiscriminate dumping of waste is causing air and noise pollution in the core area.

12. Mining and related activities have significant impact on soil, landuse, water, air, noise, flora, fauna, health, safety and aesthetics of the core area, the impacts are marginal or negligible in the buffer zone. However, mining and related activities have major beneficial impacts on socioeconomics of the entire region and Rajasthan state. Mining has appreciable adverse impact on human settlements in the core area and slight beneficial impact on provision of civic amenities in the core area. 

13. Total environmental impact score of mining for the area is (-3875) indicating major injurious impact on environment. Since, mining is location specific activity, major environmental control measures are required to be taken for mitigation of hazards, restoration of natural ecosystem and sustainable development of the mining area. Few remedial measures are suggested for sustainable development of the area.

Suggested Remedial Measures

Use of natural resources and their transformation into economically valuable commodities has to be sustainable (WCED 1987) otherwise the very base of development will be eroded.  Marble mining at Makrana is a classic example of unscientific mining and improper waste disposal regardless of aesthetics, proper land use practices etc.  Mining and waste disposal practices prevalent in the area need to be reviewed.  Processing waste can be disposed of in abandoned pits and gully erosion areas northeast of Jusri and east of Bidiyad railway station. Segregation of overburden, mine muck, marble slurry and municipal waste dumps is suggested to prevent contamination of ground water and land reclamation and restoration.  Land reclamation is also easier and cheaper if mining waste is segregated. Value of marble depends on its size, whiteness, fine texture and absence or presence of cracks, fractures etc.  It is, therefore, suggested that as far as possible blasting should be avoided and deployment of wire saw machines be encouraged for mining.  Amalgamation of small lease holds and mining on co-operative basis needs to be explored in consultation with mine owners, government representatives and environ-mentalists for sustainable development of the mining area. This will also help in simultaneous reclamation and restoration of mines.  In addition to these remedial measures, vegetation screens all around mining belt, stabilization of overburden dumps, realignment of Howrah-Jodhpur and Makrana-Parbatsar railway lines are suggested for environmental management of the area.

REFERENCES

BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS, (1969), Specification No. 1130 on Classification of marbles.

DIRECTORATE OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, (2000) : Rajasthan Mineral Bulletin Vo.21, No.4 pp.21-30.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA, (1997):  Quadrangle Geological map of 45 I

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA, (2001):  Geology and Mineral Resources of Rajasthan, Misc. Publ. No. 30, Pt. 12, 2^nd rev. edition.

GOVERNMENT OF RAJASTHAN, (1994):  Marble policy published in Department notification Mines (Gr.II), Gazette extra ordinary October 6, 1994, Jaipur.

INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES, (1993):Market survey Report on Marble MS 19 p.135.

INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES, (1997):  Indian Mineral Year Book Vol. 2, pp 237-243.

NATANI, J.V., (2000): Geoenvironmental impact assessment studies of Makrana Marble mining area, Nagaur district, Rajasthan. Rec. Geol. Surv. Ind. Vol. 133 Pt.7, pp. 64-65.

NATANI, J.V., (2001): Geoenvironmental impact assessment studies of Makrana Marble mining area, Nagaur district, Rajasthan. Rec. Geol. Surv. Ind. Vol. 134 Pt.7, pp 63-64.

NATANI, J.V., (2002): Regional assessment of Marble and calc silicate rocks of Rajasthan.  Rec. Geol. Surv. Ind. Vol. 135 Pt.7, pp 53-55.

PAREEK, H.S., (1984) : Pre-quaternary geology and mineral resources of Rajasthan. Mem. Geol. Surv. Ind. Vol. 115, pp. 1-27.

WORLD COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, (1987): Our Common future, Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K.