Environmental impact of iron ore mines in Goa, India

Environmental impact assessment studies were carried out in the iron ore mining areas of the Goa region using both qualitative and quantitative methods. From the qualitative approach it was observed that surface excavations and solid waste disposal are more responsible for affecting the environmental parameters like soils, land forms, ground water, surface water and flora. From the R‐mode factor analysis of chemical data four rotated factors were obtained expressing natural processes (factor‐1, factor‐2) and anthropogenic processes (factor‐3, factor‐4). Four groups of samples representing roadsides, mining areas, nonmining areas and high iron content samples were obtained from cluster analysis.