Blasting generates dust and noise

Dumisile Magagula

Blasting in mines can have several environmental, health, and social impacts. Thungela Mine is next to the community they blast at any time when a community is closed to a mine, blasting operations can pose risks and concerns.

 Safety Zones and Distance

1. Blast radius: typically 1- 2 km (0,6- 2 miles around the blast site.

2. Safety zone: 500 – 1000 meters (1640- 3280 feet) radius, depending on bast size

3. Vibration and noise zones: Varying distance, typically 1- 5 km(0.6-3.1 miles) which the mine doesn’t follow, the dust goes straight to the community; it turns to a dark cloud and changes the day to be cloudy.

This happened in the Thungela mine close to the Clewer location around noon the dust covered all the space. Thungela mines don’t comply with local and national regulations, no noise and vibration monitoring is done, house cracks, and no transparency in blasting operations.  The basting was done in the afternoon for children still at school and the school is so close to the mine, that the noise affects them and the dust is not good for their health. Loud noise can startle or frighten children. Also, blasting can interrupt learning and affect academic performance.

Homes, apartments, and neighborhoods near the mine are filled with dust. Their health is at risk for those who already have respiratory diseases more dangerous to them, young children and infants also the environment. All this is caused by the blasting in the Thungela mine, the dust that filled the community poor communication among team members, insufficient safety protocols, and negligence or reckless behavior.

To minimise the impact of blasting on nearby communities and ensure safety, Thungela mines have to notify nearby residents and businesses, develop blasting management plans, also install noise and vibration monitoring systems, and implement controlled blasting techniques.