Ian Boyne, Contributor
Aerial view of the Kirkvine bauxite operation in Manchester, photographed on September 15, 2004. - ANDREW SMITH/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
UP TO August this year, the total acreage of land disturbed for bauxite mining amounted to 6,610 hectares, most of which have been used for agricultural projects.
But Jamaica's mined-out bauxite land is increasingly being used for housing. The Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) has played a major role in overseeing and initiating projects for the use of this land.
Head of the JBI's Lands Division, Dianne Gordon, said "The matter of putting mined-out, reclaimed land to productive and profitable use is a priority for the Government, especially in light of the growing demand for land for residential, agricultural and public uses."
Bauxite companies have for long used reclaimed land for resettlement. In Manchester more than 230 acres of mined-out land has been used for the development of no fewer than 15 resettlement subdivisions by the former Alcan company. Also, Alcan had developed subdivisions on 92 acres of land in St Ann.
35-LOT SUBDIVISION
The most recent major resettlement on mined-out land has been the 35-lot subdivision completed by Windalco at Unity Valley/Happy Content near Faith's Pen in St. Ann. But the JBI has been pro-active on this matter of facilitating mined-out land for residential purposes. The JBI facilitated the National Housing Trust's purchase of a large acreage of mined-out land at Perth, Manchester, for a major housing development, which will effectively expand the town of Mandeville and housing development in south Manchester. A major housing expansion using mined-out land is also under construction in Moorlands.
There are still concerns that a considerable amount of mined-out land in south Manchester available for divestment by Alpart remains unallocated and unused. Some 25 per cent of all mined-out lands still remain unused, and this is cause of concern to the Government.
To this end, the Government, last year, amended the mining regulations to allow for a penalty of US$25,000 per hectare to be applied if any bauxite company disturbs an area for mining and does not bring it to certification within two years. Companies with a significant backlog of reclaimed lands have to submit their plans for dealing with this backlog to the Commissioner of Mines for review and approval. The JBI, along with the Commissioner of Mines, sit on a Land Reclamation Committee which monitors the progress of and plans for mined-out lands.
REGULATIONS
The Cabinet is, right now, considering a submission to empower the Bauxite Land Management Committee to ensure that bauxite companies pursue a programme of land rehabilitation consistent with the regulations set by the Commissioner of Mines.
"This Cabinet submission acknowledges that mining involves only a temporary use of lands and that proper rehabilitation of these lands for sustainable productive and socially useful purposes is critical to the country and communities," explains Mrs. Gordon. "We are also making a stronger push for mined-out lands to be used for new housing schemes, resettlement housing, commercial development and community infrastructure," she says.
There are large tracks of land in Manchester which have been mined-out or are soon to be reclaimed. These include lands south of Comfort Mining block, including Roxborough, Barossa, Albion and May Day, as well as areas south-east of Mandeville, such as Berwick, New Hall and Mount Nelson.
The JBI will initiate the planning for the effective conversion of these lands for public use, including residential, institutional and community uses. In this regard the JBI is working closely with the Manchester Parish Council, the Manchester Parish Development Committee, the National Environment and Planning Agency and, of course, Windalco.
The creative and productive use of bauxite lands after mining is a Jamaican success story which puts substance to sustainable mining.
