Geographic Information System-Based Database for Monitoring and Assessing Mining Impacts on Water Resources and Environmental Systems at National Scale: A Case Study of Morocco (North Africa)
2025
Salma Boukhari | Abdessamad Khalil | Lahcen Zouhri | Mariam El Adnani
Decision-making in how to manage environmental issues around mine sites is generally a complicated task. Furthermore, the large amount of data and information involved in the management process is cumbersome. However, Decision Support Tools (DSTs) based on Geographic Information Systems (GISs) are of great interest to environmental managers in order to help them to make well-informed and thoroughly documented decisions regarding reclamation plans, especially for abandoned mine sites. The current study highlights the implementation of a cost-effective and efficient GIS-based database as a DST that will be used to assess and manage environmental challenges, particularly those related to water resources, such as hydrographic network issues surrounding mine sites. Based on GISs, a prototype of a national geodatabase was designed and implemented for Moroccan mine sites. It consisted of a set of GIS layers that facilitated the dissemination of an extensive array of multidisciplinary environmental data concerning Moroccan mines to decisionmakers. By applying GIS tools, such as buffer zone analysis, to environmental and hydrological datasets, high-priority mines requiring urgent intervention were identified based on their proximity to water resources, their acid mine drainage (AMD) potential, and their environmental impact on ecosystems. The results highlight the effectiveness of GIS-based approaches in assessing environmental risks, particularly concerning water resources, while also contributing to sustainable mining management in Morocco. Finally, using the GIS-based database is expected to raise the awareness of decisionmakers in government agencies and mining companies for implementing a reclamation program for mine sites.
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