Irresponsible extraction of placer gold, rare earth elements (REEs) and common minerals from the black sand downstream of the Indus River at the historic Attock Bridge is not only harming the environment but also depriving Pakistan of huge revenue, reports WealthPK.

Mercury is largely used to amalgamate gold from the gravel concentrates. When the whole amalgam is heated, mercury evaporates quickly, reconsolidates within a second and falls freely in the same place, leaving gold behind.

Talking to WealthPK, Principal Geologist at Islamabad-based Global Mining Company Muhammad Yaqub Shah said owing to lack of knowledge and awareness, the untreated gold tailings and chemicals used to obtain gold and to keep the related equipment running are not only harming the environment but also depriving the state coffers of huge sums of money. This irresponsible practice must be strictly checked, he emphasized.

“Some of gold washers work manually while some use mechanical methods to dig and wash gold, not knowing how much harm they are causing to the regular river bed. Normally, by washing a cubic yard of water, an expert can gain approximately 1.05 grains of gold.

“On a daily basis, at least 20kg mercury besides other by-products and different fuels or lubricants used for the digging equipment add to the river water that is also used for drinking and irrigation. According to a careful estimate, all these chemicals are toxifying about three-fourths of the country’s flora and fauna, including the Arabian Sea. This means life existing in various forms in the downstream areas faces a serious risk,” he said.

The remaining gold tailings generally consist of precious, semi-precious, REEs, or platinoid groups of minerals. It is to be noted that most of the valuable minerals in the alluvials are concentrated in fractions of fine mesh or fine-sized grades. 

Discussing further, Yaqub said the alluvium brought downstream by  the Indus River and its confluence (the meeting point of Indus and Kabul rivers) was a national treasure-trove of minerals that was far more valuable than gold. Some culprits are smuggling these sands out of the country and this must be checked.

“Commercial prospecting for large-scale dredging from the Indus River is direly needed. Professionals are required to protect these natural resources and develop the country and nation at large so that not only the natural sources of Pakistan can be used properly but more work opportunities and a sizeable value chain can also be created,” said Yaqub, who is also former GM (Geology) at the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC).