LAND DEGRADATION IN USAGE OF COAL MINING BASIN IN KOSOVO

11th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM2011, www.sgem.org, SGEM2011 Conference Proceedings/ ISSN 1314-2704, June 20-25, 2011, Vol. 1, 153-160 pp

ABSTRACT

During mining activities, as a result of removal of inert materials for unfolding layers of
lignite, has resulted into covering and degradation of large areas of land.
This inert material is now distributed in some areas, in the form of landfill, often
referred to as wastelands or dump tuck, and occupied this area: Folding Lismir –
Kuzmin 780 ha, folding Shipitullë – 136 ha, folding deep Lugu 437 ha, folding Vasilevo
157 ha, folding Palaj 49 ha.
From the above data results that the degraded land from wastelands, seize an area of
about 1559 ha. Area which includes mining pit – fields is about 1470 ha.
Therefore, from mining activities, there is an area of about 3000 ha of degraded land.
The degradation of land is expected to be much greater on area when the exploitation of
coal begins in the southwest of Sibovc field. Initially, with the opening of surface
mining, the land will be occupied in several ways: with mining of fertile layer and
placement on other surfaces (for their return during the re – cultivation of mining coal
surfaces), pits left over from exploitation of coal, disposal of ash, construction of energy
facilities (belt conveyors, coal landfills, transmission lines, supporting facilities and
administrative ones, etc.

Keywords: coal, degradation, land, mining, rehabilitation.