impacts include change in geological features, damaging for crops and fields, soil erosion and noise and dust pollution.

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1 Quarry Worry Is there anything to worry about quarries? Why would we worry on just a deep pit which once was a piece of land? The problem is- it once was a piece of land. Most of the quarries end up useless open- pit mines with danger signs stuck on the outskirts. Stone is vitally to our modern lifestyle and so such requirement can only be established by cutting these stones from quarries. In the Maltese Islands, quarries are hollowed out to extract mineral resources from geological formations. The extracted raw materials are used mainly by the quarry industry for the construction of buildings connected to services and economic activities. Some of these examples include: houses, hospitals, offices, churches and roads. In Malta the localities were quarries can be found are Mosta, Valletta, Marsascala, Mellieha, Mqabba, Siggiewi, Qrendi, Zejtun and Swieqi. The problem with quarries is that each quarry has a specific lifetime within which the mineral resources can be extracted. In the case of Malta, this happens when the lower coralline limestone is encountered while quarrying. Quarries which were once of a social and economic benefit, end up being an irreversible scar in the landscape of the Maltese Islands. The disused quarries have to be closed as a good precaution of any harm; however the impact of quarries on the natural environment is endless. Direct impacts include loss of agricultural land which results in loss of natural habitats for animals and wild plants. Other environmental

2 impacts include change in geological features, damaging for crops and fields, soil erosion and noise and dust pollution. So, are there any solutions which can be done to prevent the permanent damage done by quarrying? Whilst surfing the internet, one encounters a number of possible creations, some of which have already been employed in Malta. One which has been frequently discussed is the use of exhausted quarries for landfills. Before July 2003, the average weight of mixed waste received annually at the old Maghtab dump was about 1.6 million tonnes. 80% by weight of this waste was inactive waste generated from the construction and demolition industry. Thus, such uncontaminated construction material is now being dumped in unused quarries. This disposal has proved to be sustainable in many ways. In fact, Waste Serve Malta accepts waste construction material at a very small rate. This is because many of these quarries have their lower levels very close to the water table. Thus, by filling them up with similar material to that originally extracted the risk of contamination of the water table other is reduced. Other type of waste might result in a problem if dumped in quarries. This is because toxic chemicals may leach into the water table contaminating the water. If such quarries are to be used like this extensive studying of the area should be done. One can also make use of quarries by disposing organic waste which will generate biogas. Such gas is a

3 renewable source of energy and is much less pollutant than the use of fossil fuels. A problem associated with the solution of landfills, especially to people living in the vicinities, is the pollution of the road from trucks when they are leaving the quarries. After the quarries have been filled with the inert waste, a layer of soil can be put on top making the area suitable for agricultural purposes. Through this, reclamation of land would be possible decreasing the visual pollution. In addition to agriculture, such reclaimed land can be used to build gardens, pools or fun parks. After all, it would play as a payback for the sacrifices done by the people in the area. Another easy way to reduce visual pollution is by landscaping and tree planting around quarries. Whangarei Quarry garden, New Zealand Abroad there are other afteruses of quarries which can be easily adopted in Malta. These may include the building of hotels like for

4 example Songjiang Hotel in China. Disused quarries could be used as car parks like what was done in Craster, a small fishing village on the Northumbrian coast of England. Nature reserves and conservation areas can be reinstated in the landscape when a quarry is exhausted. Such nature reserves will be highly beneficial to students for out- of the classroom learning. In fact, quarries have been described as the finest outdoor classrooms. Likewise, they can be turned into museums as in the case of The Limestone Heritage Park and Gardens in Siggiewi. This can be used both as a learning site but also as a host for special events Songjiang Hotel, China The Limestone Heritage Park and Gardens, Malta Sustainable use of quarries should be done both when the quarry is in use but also after the quarry has been exhausted. The landscape and its biodiversity are not natural; it is the product of human management over thousands of years. So let s start worrying about exhausted quarries to avoid this scar from being visible also to our future generations.

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