A methodology for assessing the cumulative impact of a mineral transportation system on air quality

assessment (EIA) has been focused primarily on the local impacts of projects, without considering regional environmental effects. Environmental clearances for proposed projects are based on reports of local impacts. However, any developmental project poses a potential risk to the environment as a whole, and not just in the immediate vicinity of the project. Recently, there has been increased concern about the combined effects of multiple activities over many years—the regional environmental changes due to development of a single project (Dutta, Mahatha, and De, 2004). Environmental issues throughout the country, particularly in the iron ore industry, have emphasized the need to broaden the analysis to include the combined impacts, or those forecast for a proposed region, on an existing environment. The most significant adverse environmental consequences of iron ore transportation are the deterioration of biodiversity and air quality (Kumar and Ajay, 2015). Kalidindi and Singh (2009) have projected that on a global basis, pollutant emissions from the transport sector would double by 2030. Analysis of cumulativeness in EIAs can help to predict the level of impact in qualitative terms and emission factors per unit of freight transported (Rodrigue, Comtois, and Slack, 2013). The environmental impact depends on the quantity of goods (emissions per unit freight), the distance they are transported, and the spatial pattern of goods transported, including the mode of transport. Airborne particulate matter can be a significant nuisance to local communities and a potential health hazard in certain circumstances. It is produced from a number of sources and through a number of mechanisms such as land clearing, removal of topsoil and overburden, drilling, blasting, crushing and screening, processing of ore, loading and unloading of material on site, and subsequent transport. In addition, wind action near stockpiles, dry tailings, exposed mining areas, and waste dumps also generates significant amounts of pollutants. This paper presents a proposed methodology quantifying the cumulative impact on air quality caused by mineral transportation from various mines to a beneficiation plant, using geographical analysis, a programming model, an air dispersion model, and a system dynamic model.