Air Quality Impact Assessment: Management with Specific Reference to Coal Mining Areas

Main air pollution problem due to mining is dust. This monograph develops emission factors to quantify mine dust emission and established a new methodology named as factal analysis and evaluated the actual contribution of air pollutants by a project in question and from other sources, their emission rate and dispersion characteristics . This is based on the changes of the wind directions and air quality at the monitoring stations when they are upwind and downwind from the mine. The methods are applied successfully in real life situation and Patents are obtained . A scheme is formulated to control opencast mining air pollution. Broader discussion of the problem suggests that social and the environmental cost must outweigh the economic benefits. The out come of this research would aware the mine officials about the actual contribution of pollutants by the mine and their impacts due to the dispersion in the surrounding locations. These would enable them to take appropriate steps to have a right kind of balance between sustainable developmentand environmental management. It would also enable the regulatory agency to implement the polluter pays principle appropriately.