Environmental Quality of the Boula-Nuasahi Chromite Mine Area in India

Chromite mining can create hostile conditions
for organisms in the surrounding environment. Overburden
soil and mine water samples were collected and analyzed
for their microbial diversity, nutrient content, and water
quality at the Boula-Nuasahi Mine. Most of the water
parameters that were measured exceed national/international
standards. The microbial population was low (soil:
45 ± 0.06 9 105 bacteria, 20 ± 0.03 9 105 fungus) and
the overburden soils have a low nutrient (N, P, K) content.
The metal ions were found to have leached to nearby
agriculture lands, making them less fertile for crop production.Overburden dumps and seepage water were found
to be the main sources of chromium pollution.