As part of the ENVSEC initiative, UNEP has analysed the risks and needs in the region to improve the environmental situation around coal mines and waste sites. Te Risk Assessment Considerations in the Donetsk Basin – Mine Clo- sure and Spoil Dumps report de- tails the various findings and offers practical approaches to address the problems facing both practition-
ers and decision-makers in Donetsk and nationwide.
Analysis focuses on the needs and process of risk assessment as a basis for risk amelioration. To improve risk assessment for mines due to close, established mine risk manage- ment techniques will oſten need to be modified to suit the local context. Extensive work has already been
done to identify techniques to help reduce the impacts of mine closure. Te full use of risk assessment tools can also make comparisons easier between issues at a single site, as well as between different mines. Six dif- ferent categories of risk are relevant to mining and mine closure. Te items addressed include: • environmental risks • health and safety risks
• community and social risks • final land use risks • legal and financial risks; and • technical risks.
Te following table outlines the main findings of the project and offers an Action Plan for the region in dealing with mining waste-related risks in the Donetsk region.
Findings of the ENVSEC risk assessment study
Ukrainian practice and legal frameworks do not support best practice
Lack of adequate legislative structures for the sale of mine land, mine spoil dumps, etc. is a significant barrier to progress regarding the rehabilitation of mine land
Unlicensed and informal mining activities. Unlicensed and informal coal recovery operations.
Considerable data on mine waste does exist – however, it is widely dispersed and only limited quantities are available in digital form.
Existing planning and goals for environmental site rehabilitation and risk reduction are inadequate
Solutions
Adapt and apply best practices for the Ukraine
Resolve liability and ownership issues
Proposed approach
Involve external parties with extensive experience of such practices abroad together with Ukrainian actors to improve mining and mine closure practice
Analyse legislation surrounding transfer of site ownership and liability for initial examination
Increase site security and establish safe coal-related activities
Comprehensive information management on mining objects
Revegetation and dump rehabilitation
Regulate informal activities so they can join the formal economy and meet acceptable environmental health and safety requirements
Collect and centralize related mining site data, then prioritize risks
Identify areas where current practices can be strengthened by tried and proven techniques from elsewhere
Source: ENVSEC. (2008). Risk Assessment Considerations in the Donetsk Basin Mine Closure and Spoil Dumps.
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Proposed activities
Analyse national regulations in the light of practices elsewhere and identify items which are addressed, or not.
Draft proposals for improving policy measures.
Develop guidelines or regulations for site access and licensing, safety and environmental factors, taxation or royalties, and requirements for some forms of site restitution.
Develop and deploy GIS to manage environmental data.
Activities: - landform management, dump reshaping - dump fire prevention techniques - management of acidic and saline wastes - topsoil management and soil remediation - water management - revegetation techniques and final land use considerations.
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