Embedded Files
Gidagom, Thimphu
Gidagom, Thimphu
Geo-Inquiry: Where has mining expanded in the Gidagom area around Thimphu?
Method Highlight: Visual analysis using Google Earth Engine Timelapse.
The study area for this project focused on Gidagom marble mining project. which is located in Mewang geowog under Thimphu Dzongkhag.
Using Google Earth Engine Timelapse, this team was able to capture snapshots of Landsat imagery across their study area. The figure to the left shows that there is the expansion of marble mining over the years. Simple visual analysis can depict the landscape changes due to mining expansion. When the marble mining expands, it impacts on the surrounding environment also increases. For instance, if we look at year 2001 there was minimal mining areas whereas, by year 2020 the mining areas has been drastically increased. The red circled areas show the mining areas expanded over the years.
Khothagpa, Pemagatshel
Khothagpa, Pemagatshel
Geo-Inquiry: How have vegetation and settlement patterns around Khothakpa been affected by gypsum mining?
Method Highlight: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) comparison.
The gypsum mine is located at Khothakpa in Shumar gewog under Pemagatsel covering an area of 26.77 hectares. The Geological Survey of India carried out the geological survey of khothakpa area in 1960. It has a reserve of 25.942 million metric tonnes of high-grade gypsum reserve with an average grade of 83 percent as per the detailed exploration done in 1968 to 1973 by the Department of Geology and Mines (DGM). it is a semi- mechanized open cast mining. India, Bangladesh and Nepal are the largest buyers and small amount is also sold to Bhutanese buyers (Galey, 2008).
The above two NDVI maps compare the pattern of vegetation changes in between 2021-2013. We can find vegetation change (blue circles) due to expansion of mining area. Many roads in and around the mining area have been developed, also adding to the vegetation change. The roads connecting the nearby villages too can be seen in 2021 which were absent in 2013. The circled areas in the above picture in particular indicates expansion of mining area, the change in settlement pattern and the development of road connectivity in 2021 which have ultimately resulted changed in vegetation pattern.
Reshore Coal Mine, SamdrupJongkhar
Reshore Coal Mine, SamdrupJongkhar
Geo-Inquiry: What evidence of landscape change can be observed as a result of mining operation at Rishore from1984 to 2020?
Method Highlight: LandTrendr spectral-temporal segmentation algorithm via Google Earth Engine.
Coal mining at Rishor in Deothang is located 20 kilometers away from the Eastern business hub- Sumdrupjongkhar. It is an open cast mining and the extracted mineral is mostly used in cement factories in Bhutan. Coal mining is one of the most important mining sectors in Bhutan as it provides employment opportunities and generate revenue for the country. However, ever since the beginning of mining, it has had a significant impact on the environment, and the physical features of the land have been constantly changing.
This team used the LandTrendr spectral-temporal segmentation algorithm to conduct analysis of vegetaion disturbance across the years of active mining. The mining activities shows the trend of expanding towards the east by the map depicting year of change. The major change took place in and after 2004. As a result of mining, forest cover was removed and cultivable lands are rendered unfit with excavation and encroachment. The year 2015 benchmarked a period of greatest disturbance to the natural landscape. Those changes could be noticed observing the colour, shape and pattern of the LandTrendr results. Remote sensing products like this can help our community to better monitor and understand the progression of mining activities within the locality.
Page updated
Report abuse