Hydrological characterization of Mahd Ad Dahab Gold Mine, Saudi Arabia

The present study focuses on the gold mining in Mahd Ad Dahab region of Saudi Arabia. The study aims at the integrated use of existing meteorological information with the drainage basin morphometry of the mine catchment for determining the preferential flow path for the mine contaminants. The study reveals that the actual mining area lies at the headwaters of two watersheds: Watershed A and Watershed B. The streams in Watershed A drain in a North East South West direction, whereas the streams of watershed B trend in a South East – North West direction. The peak runoff estimates show that in case of a heavy rainfall event, more surface discharge will be generated in Watershed A mainly due to its large surface area thus, leading to potential contamination in the south of the mining area. The runoff estimates for a maximum rainfall event of 104 mm/day is equal to 21.527 m 3 /s for Watershed A and 8.310 m 3 /s for Watershed B. Studies related to the investigation of the water pollution from mining activities should be concentrated towards the south of the mine.