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IJESD 2017 Vol.8(9): 642-646 ISSN: 2010-0264
doi: 10.18178/ijesd.2017.8.9.1031
doi: 10.18178/ijesd.2017.8.9.1031
Impact of an Abandoned Mine on Surrounding Soils, Surface Water and Stream Sediment: Case of SOMIAF Gold Mine, Côte d’Ivoire
Kouadio Assemien François Yao, David Salze, Miguel Lopez-Ferber, Théophile Lasm, and Olivier Belcourt
Abstract—The old gold mine of Somiaf in Afema district
(Southern of Côte d’Ivoire) ceased operating in 1998 without
real site rehabilitation. In 2016, geochemical analyses of the
soils, stream sediments and Hydrochemical characterization of
waters of the surrounding area were carried out to assess the
environmental impact of this mining site.
The chemical analyses of surface water revealed that almost all the studied water are of poor quality based on the water quality index (WQI). On soils and stream sediments samples the chemical analyses showed Cd, Pb and As pollution. While soil contamination by Pb may be due to mining activity as shown in the water case, Cd and As seems to be coming from agricultural activities due to the widespread contamination. This study allowed us to get an overall view of the state of the environment after the end of the mining activity with the focus on the state of the quality of water consumed by the populations. A more detailed study must be carried out in order to accurately characterize the origin of the metal pollution in the waters.
Index Terms—Mining, WQI, metal contamination, Côte d’Ivoire.
K. A. F. Yao is with the Industrial and Environmental Engineering, École des Mines d’Alès, 6 Avenue de Clavières 30319 Alès, France. He is also with the Earth Sciences and Mineral Resources Department, University Felix Houphouët Boigny, Abidjan, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire (e-mail: kouadio.yao@mines-ales.fr).
D. Salze, L-F. Miguel, and O. Belcourt are with the Industrial and Environmental Engineering Laboratory, École des Mines d’Alès, 6 Avenue de Clavières 30319 Alès, France (e-mail: david.salze@mines-ales.fr, olivier.belcourt @mines-ales.fr, Miguel.lopez-ferber @ mines-ales.fr).
T. Lasm is with the Earth Sciences and Mineral Resources Department, University Felix Houphouët Boigny, Abidjan, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire (e-mail: theophile_lasm@yahoo.fr).
The chemical analyses of surface water revealed that almost all the studied water are of poor quality based on the water quality index (WQI). On soils and stream sediments samples the chemical analyses showed Cd, Pb and As pollution. While soil contamination by Pb may be due to mining activity as shown in the water case, Cd and As seems to be coming from agricultural activities due to the widespread contamination. This study allowed us to get an overall view of the state of the environment after the end of the mining activity with the focus on the state of the quality of water consumed by the populations. A more detailed study must be carried out in order to accurately characterize the origin of the metal pollution in the waters.
Index Terms—Mining, WQI, metal contamination, Côte d’Ivoire.
K. A. F. Yao is with the Industrial and Environmental Engineering, École des Mines d’Alès, 6 Avenue de Clavières 30319 Alès, France. He is also with the Earth Sciences and Mineral Resources Department, University Felix Houphouët Boigny, Abidjan, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire (e-mail: kouadio.yao@mines-ales.fr).
D. Salze, L-F. Miguel, and O. Belcourt are with the Industrial and Environmental Engineering Laboratory, École des Mines d’Alès, 6 Avenue de Clavières 30319 Alès, France (e-mail: david.salze@mines-ales.fr, olivier.belcourt @mines-ales.fr, Miguel.lopez-ferber @ mines-ales.fr).
T. Lasm is with the Earth Sciences and Mineral Resources Department, University Felix Houphouët Boigny, Abidjan, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire (e-mail: theophile_lasm@yahoo.fr).
Cite: Kouadio Assemien François Yao, David Salze, Miguel Lopez-Ferber, Théophile Lasm, and Olivier Belcourt, "Impact of an Abandoned Mine on Surrounding Soils, Surface Water and Stream Sediment: Case of SOMIAF Gold Mine, Côte d’Ivoire," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 8, no. 9, pp. 642-646, 2017.
