Western Balkans Environment Programe

Remediation of Mining Sites

The last of the three study tours for 2008 developed by the Regional Programme Management Unit (RPMU) in the frame of the Western Balkans Environmental Programme was organized from 20th- 24th October in Prague area, Czech Republic. The topic of the study tour was visiting mining sites, subjects to remediation activities. The remediation activities are conducted in order to mitigate/eliminate existing negative impacts of the mining sites to the environment, and preparing the remediated sites for future public usage as recreational areas.

Participants on the study tour were representatives of relevant institutions from Albania, Macedonia FYR and UNMIK Kosovo. The purpose of the study tour was to familiarize the participants with good show cases, learn and see how heavily impacted sites due to mining can be remediated and reclaimed, and get relevant information on how similar/same activities can be organized and conducted in their respective countries. The host organization in Prague was the Environmental Damage Department, Ministry of Environment of Czech Republic, with Mr Jaromir Manhart acting as focal point from their side.

During the study tour, participants have visited a state enterprise which implements the inhibition of the uranium, ore, and partially, of the coal mining; a company which main field of activity are coal extraction and processing, conversion of substantial part of the production into refined fuels, and also trading in final products, but at the same time does remediation of their abandoned mining sites; and a company that actively remediate its abandoned coal mine in order to prepare it for future public usage. The study tour participants have explored in detail: a) Chemical mining processes and the remediation technologies/technological processes in use; b)Surface mining technologies and the appropriate remediation technologies/ technological processes in use and c) Creating of artificial lakes at the remediated sites.