RNDr. Ivo Stočes

UnacceptabIlITY OF New Mining Methods and New Technologies without Ethical Assessment

During my last lecture in Příbram I heard some critical remarks accusing me to introducing politics into geology. Excuse me, please, the same approach in this paper. I see ethics and human relations in every activity, including mining.

Rapid development of mining methods and technologies are sometimes including danger both for the earth and for the regions, if they are used out of the ethical backgrounds.

From primeval up to early Middle Ages every smith served also as a miner and a steelworker at the same time. In West Bohemian Proterozoic they are zones with primeval gravemounds as a proof of the occurrence of iron cap symptom. Iron cap is easy melting oxidising cap of deep zone of sulphide abundant rock. Such primitive mining did not change both nature and life conditions. First man’s collection and mining of flint was not able to change the face of the Bohemian region, as well as mining of uncommon minerals for St. Venceslas royal crown and chapels in Prague or at the Karlštejn castle. Neither the peasants’ mining of loam and clay, nor the beginning of coal mining was any burden for the country at first.

Extensive damage to the region started by mining of alum slate in West Bohemia in Proterozoic and of coal outcrops impregnated with pyrite in Carboniferous. I am astonished that the technology of sulphuric acid production has persisted in the course of centuries without any improvement. Moistening of excavated material by rain during several years outlasted from the alchemist era to the appearance of sulphur. For an almost 200 years lasting period the nature did resist both spontaneous and purposeful human re-cultivation.

Rapid coal mining provided energy for the increasing technical revolution. West Bohemia supplied with coal not only Austria-Hungary, but also Italy, France, even the Ruhr-region in Germany. Industrial centres began to arise in the neighbourhood of mineral deposits and relevant water sources. In case of Pilsen on the confluence of four rivers it was coal and iron ores, in Prague coal from Kladno- coal-fields, iron from Barrandium and foundry sands in the neighbourhood, in Ostrava coal-fields of cokable coal.

Extensive mining activities changed morphology of the region by waste dumps, slumps and dumping grounds, carrying off some hills and building other ones from refuse dump. Woodless mountains damaged by industrial emissions, the Ore mountains, the Giant mountains, more or less the Šumava and the Beskydy mountains bring problems in forestry, in the health of people, animals and plants.

These extensive damages to the nature need prudent control of all technologies, of all mining activities, including underground and surface water pumping.

Many dangerous changes made as a consequence of new technologies and under stiff competition cannot be undone in spite of all people’s efforts. I would like to present two examples:

1. Hydrogeology in Nýřany after stopping the mining

2. A camouflage of rubbish rooms made in a hurry as a doubtful success

Ad 1.: During the mining activities in the Nýřany basin's mines Concordia, Humbold, Ziegler and Krimich the water table was 100m below the ground. Supplementary source of water for waterless villages was the waterworks of Nýřany, 150 years old. This waterworks exploited lower horizon of pit water (called “drinkable water” in comparison with top horizon of pit water, so called “ non-drinkable water”).

Hydrogeological research in the 1970s discovered that both horizons can be exploited as source of Waterworks utilisable water with yield of spring 180l/sec. but after stopping coal mining and pit water pumping the water supply to Nýřany has begun to come from Pilsen.

Concurrently with the lifting of the water level the mining space became inundate and pit water changed to be no more usable by obtaining new chemical and bacteriological quality. In consequence of lost hydraulic resistance in pseudocarstic areas, inundation by mine water appears in residence and agricultural region of Nýřany more and more.

Ad 2.: Era of planned economy terminated by economical and social decadence, by uneconomical plundering of mineral resources and not observing own laws by privileged people. Accumulation of waste and the destroying of nature increased. Rejecting of law has appeared after the change of system (Velvet revolution) as well.

After the instructions “the money for environmental protection needs first to be gained” or “the chief changes must precede the law” – rubbish disappeared in depressions, caves, swamplands, mines, quarries and artesian wells. These locations remained unknown as well as their chemical and biological danger.

Access to evaluation of mineral deposits is in a permanent change according to the technological progress and the commercial and political tactics.

As for a long-termed evaluation immense deposit areas, although with smaller deposit proportion are preferred to little mineral deposits, even richer (although the latter ones are mostly exploited out in our country anyway). It is result of a great progress in mechanical and chemical mining, well known from South Africa and disastrously known from Baia Mare in Rumania. In the beginning of the new millennium it is necessary, as the first task, to finish our own legislation for mining, geology, water economy and region planning in time, with all social and environmental aspect. No advertising, but an explaining campaign, no hubbub in street and bribing, but the best evaluation of experts must decide – whether yes or not –

Ø about the removing of Bohemian Middle hills, because it is a well paid quarry stone in central Europe,

Ø about the removing of cretaceous system in Bohemia in addition with subjacent coal layers, because the modern pumping makes it possible,

Ø about enriching ourselves by crushing and melting plutonic and metamorphic rocks of Moldanubic, including metals of high price, in acid solvent, because we can profit from value-added tax.

Such sentences could be seen as funny. But my humour failed when I saw the re-cultivated open woodland in the place of former romantic scenery of Provodín sandstone, previously formed from the first class glass sand stone. It happened in the course of one decade when the traditional Czech glass industry has been dying, when the unemployed glass workers have gone abroad, if they were young and able to work hardly and cheaply. In the same decade the system of returning vessels all foodstuff (from milk to drinkable water) are only delivered in synthetic bottles not able to be naturally liquidated. The whole pollution in the Czech republic increases in our time again.

I believe it is irresponsible to do recurrent advertising, especially proclaiming the theory insulting all geologists that mineral resources can be obtained not by the research work, but by trading.

In every region all citizens as well as mineral deposits are a part of the environment. Every region must keep itself in order, so as to be able to work together with other regions in friendship and solidarity. First step of the “liberal” so called “ slimming down” of the Czech administration was the abolishment of Governmental Office for geology, minerals and water reserved evidence (Geologický úřad při předsednictvu vlády). In my opinion this switched-off light needs to be switched on as fast as possible filly again.

I hope the pauperised geology in our country will not remain a grey zone of little interesting work, but it will turn out to become again a very important field of activities in the future.

The author's address: RNDr. Ivo Stočes, Spolková 22, 31219 Plzeň, Czech Republic