Ecological policy
Construction and operation of the ore processing facility based on heap leaching method is associated with a certain environmental impact. The inevitable consequences include plant and soil destruction (areas occupated by the opencast, overburden rock wastes, heap leaching areas.
However, production activities are performed with due care, taking into account the environmental specifics.
In the local conditions, in order to preserve environment forming and environment protection functions of the ecological systems the environmental management approaches have to be reassessed and adopted to the mountain conditions.
The company applies the following major environmental principles:
- minimal opencast area;
- adjusting construction to natural landscape with maximal preservation of plant life;
- recultivation of affected soils;
- continuous ecological monitoring for direct and collateral impact of gold mining operations;
Major ecological limitations include prevention of occurrence of effluents contaminated with hazardous chemicals and suspended particles. Special care is taken to preclude forest fires.
Ecological monitoring system is integrated into construction and operation of the mining and processing facilities. Compliance with the current environmental protection codes and standards and allowable limits of hazardous impurities in the surface water bodies, subsoil water, and air , as well as impact of the production processes on soil composition (content of nonferrous metals in the mobile forms) is being continuously verified.
Taking into account the specific local conditions, the following monitoring system was proposed:
- monitoring water quality in surface water bodies;
- monitoring effluent water quality;
- monitoring subsoil water quality;
- monitoring atmospheric air quality;
- monitoring snow blanket quality;
- soil monitoring;
- storm water sewer monitoring.
In order to ensure comparability of the ecological monitoring data, the methods certified and approved for state ecological monitoring purposes are being used in the above tests.
