Open Collections

Muram, Shahla

University of British Columbia

Globally, approximately 20 million miners are engaged in gold extraction through Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) which can impact water resources in a variety of ways. This study aims to evaluate ASGM processing methods, specifically alluvial placer and hard rock mining, in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, and to assess the impacts of these mining practices on water resources such as the Kokcha and Sheva Rivers. The research commenced with an extensive literature review conducted across five countries (Ghana, Brazil, Indonesia, Ecuador and Columbia), focusing on the methods employed in various contexts and building an understanding of these activities and their impact on water resources. The research then focused on Badakshan which was supported by ten semi-structured interviews with miners and owners of ASGM companies, through telephone and WhatsApp calls and messaging. Subsequently, ‘pilot’ or ‘pre-evaluation’ calls were conducted with an additional ten local community people and trained mining engineers in Badakhshan to better understand the nature of ASGM work and the protocol for future interviews. This approach seeks to gather insights into localized effects and perspectives and to understand how miners themselves articulate the effects of their activities. The study identifies significant impacts on the Sheva and Kokcha Rivers resulting from ASGM activities, which generate substantial quantities of tailings and liquid slurry composed of crushed rock, water, trace metals, and unspecified minerals. While the scale of these operations may appear small, they have the potential to significantly affect water quality and quantity in the long term. This research enhances the understanding and documentation of ASGM practices in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, raises public awareness of the potential consequences of ASGM activities on water resources, and provides a valuable reference for future studies. Furthermore, Afghanistan currently lacks a cohesive policy on water supply and industrial water usage, and the absence of relevant laws and regulations exacerbates the situation. There is no established guidance or policy governing water use in any industrial sector, particularly in mineral processing.

Text

2025-04-04

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90585

Mining Engineering

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/