3.5 Summary
Environmental impacts of mining on land and land environment may be summarised as in table 3.2 under two items i.e. land quality and land use potential (Modified from Sengupta, 1993).
Table 3.2: Impact of mining on land quality and LU potential

SPECIAL ATTREBUTE/ CATEGORY	UNCONTROLLABLE CAUSAL IMPACTS	CONTOLLABLE CAUSAL FACTORS
1. LAND QUALITY
a. Surface texture	Rocks and spoils are put on surface	Characteristics of i. OB ii. spoil
b. Appearance	Appearance changed	i. Natural topography ii. Natural vegetation
2. LAND USE POTENTIAL
a. Topography	Topography becomes more rugged	i. Natural topography ii. Bulking factor of OB iii. Mode of occurrence of the deposit.
b. Drainage	Disruption of natural drainage	i. Natural drainage pattern ii. Chemistry of OB iii. Precipitation
c. Vegetation	Removal of vegetation	i. Natural LC pattern ii. Native vegetation

The environmental impacts of mining with respect to land and water resources can be listed as in Table 3.3A and 3.3B.
The most serious problem is that all the impacts on water and land resources work in a consorted manner to degrade the land and push the total region towards desertification. The matter has been explained through "land degradation cycle" (Ghosh 2000b) in Fig. 3a, which works in accelerated speed in mining areas as has been expressed in Fig. 3b (Ghosh, 2002). The effects are cumulative, and the cycle runs on and on through innumerable internally connected loops so long it is not stopped forcefully by any strong care. This emphasizes the need of managing these intangible environmental impacts of mining.

Some more analysis of impact of mining on land and LU has been given in chapter VII while discussing economic viability of suggested LUMPs.

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