Kolar Gold Fields

     Cyanide Dumps

Some people of kolar gold fields are very proud of cyanide dumps being in the KGF, as many people around the places comes down to visit the dumps and some of the films shoots also happens here, but it is not the pride of the KGF its slaggy dirty dump which is causing most of the health issues to the people and polluting the town.

Dusty way to ill health

Kolar Gold Fields, Aug 21, DHNS:

During the beginning of the monsoon heavy winds cause dust to fly from huge mounds which comprise waste from the gold mines which has been accumulated over a number of years.
This dust, which is a waste product from the now dysfunctional Bharat Gold Mines Limited, is a health hazard. Many people suffer from respiratory-related diseases such as asthma, wheezing and TB because of the fine dust from these dumps.

Slurry waste
The cyanide dumps are found all around KGF and are a part and parcel of the landscape of KGF.

These dumps are the accumulation of the slurry waste and residue that was piped out of the mills, after the gold was extracted from the ore which was collected from here.

Gold extraction
The residue slowly hardened over time and formed huge hills of soft fine dust all around the mines in Kolar Gold Fields. They are known as cyanide dumps because of the cyanide content that was used in the process of gold extraction. The rooftops of houses are covered with the dust and when the dust is caught in the eye, it causes various types of allergy.

The cyanide dump near Champion Reef is an exception. As some grass and plants have started growing on it, no dust particles come from it. But dust is blown off by the winds from the cyanide dump in Robertson pet, which is barren.

Plants on the dumps
When Bharat Gold Mines was functioning, water, which came from the mines, was sprinkled on the cyanide dump which prevented the dust being blown off to the village.
Environmentalists say that dust can be prevented if plants are grown on the dumps in Kolar Gold Fields. The Forest Department did plant samplings but due to no maintenance, they have disappeared.

Drinking water problem
Sprinkling water on the vast dump is out of question, particularly in view of the fact that there is already severe drinking water problem in the region.


K RANGANATH, TNN Nov 23, 2012, 06.37AM IST
For residents, the downslide started with the closure of the Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML) in April 2000. The once buzzing township , given the name of 'Little England' , largely because of the presence of many Anglo-Indians , turned completely lifeless.
The township, with its population of 1.2 lakh, which till then depended on BGML for survival, found it hard to adapt to the harsh new reality.
The closure affected every aspect of life and the physical environment too. The local economy shrunk, and people started migrating to neighboring cities in search of jobs. Former workers say they had no alternative means of earning a livelihood.
But this was just the beginning. The deadly silicosis disease struck the town, making the people's lives even more miserable. The gold mining process at KGF generated about 32 million tones of tailings called cyanide dumps. Years of inhaling the gold dust aggravated the silicosis ailment among the former workers and their families living close to the site.
Since 2005, the disease, it is said, killed over 100 people in this town, the highest incidence reported in the state.
With their own lives a shambles, workers hoped their children, armed with an education they themselves did not get, would build new lives. They now see that dream being shattered, under the threat of nuclear waste dumping.

Cyanide Hazards to Plants and Animals from Gold Mining and Related Water Issues. [Eisler and Weimeyer, 2004] This article from Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology discusses cyanide extraction of gold through milling of high-grade ores and heap leaching of low-grade ores. The article describes the procedure of extraction, as well as environmental problems that may occur from cyanide extraction. A variety of exclusion/cyanide reduction techniques are presented and discussed, and additional research is recommended. (citation and description)