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FAQ
 
 

    The project gives an opportunity for people in the mining area and interested people to ask questions about their concerns that are possible to impact by the
mine implementation. The questions can also be their potential benefits obtained for both communities and people. The explanations which clarify to loosen their
concerns and doubts are as follows:

Economic

 
  1.How will the project create more quality of people life, more jobs and more income?

The project creates the employment in the stage of mine preparation and operations. There will be direct employment rate of more than 900 positions in the long term and it is expected to have indirect employment rate of over 4,500. In addition, there is also the development of the infrastructure to serve the project and the related businesses and services will be also grown in the future.

  
  2.How will the project be able to reduce the importing of fertilizers and their prices?

Currently, all of the potash used for producing the fertilizer in Thailand is imported. Therefore, if the potash can be produced in Thailand, the importing can be declined and the income obtained from exporting can also be increased instead (the producing rate is more than the domestically using rate). Besides, the price
of chemical fertilizers will potentially be reduced because of no transportation cost added.  This will also support Thai farmers in increasing the efficient of production and hence increase more products. In addition, the project will provide the Fertilizer Subsidy Fund for the farmers in the mining lease area in order to buy the fertilizer in a cheaper price.

 
  3.How will people in the communities be able to reach to the various funds which are committed?

Objectives and expenditure policies of various funds provided by this project to the people both in the mining lease area and the study area are remarkably established.  Nevertheless, in practical for flexible management, the committees as being selected and represented the stakeholders can be changed and added
as appropriate. Therefore, this will guarantee that those funds can be well solved the requirement of the people in the mining lease area. 

 
 

Environment Aspect

1.How will the project manage in order to prevent the surface subsidence, salty soil, brine, and the impact to the ground surface and salt dust
generated?

      - The surface subsidence will gradually be occurred in the wide area with average  subsidence rate of less than 1 cm/year. The maximum surface subsidence covers some small areas with total subsidence of not more than 40 cm.  This won’t certainly impact to the livelihood and activities of the people in the communities. Moreover, the total surface subsidence occurred won’t effect to the flow direction and surface water levels of the streams and reservoirs in the area such as Huay Hin, Huay Nam Khem, Huay Wang Sang, Nong Uthai and Nong Kung. Besides, the groundwater level and its flow direction won’t be changed under this subsidence condition as well as not impact to the damage of the infrastructure on surface including household, buildings, bridges, railways, roads, water pipeline etc.

      - Salt tailing that is transported between the processing plant and tailing pile is in the form of wet tailing that will not generate the salt dust. The wet tailing transported will then be dried and bonded as solid material resulting to no dust created. The stage that can generate the dust is in the processing stage, the preventive and mitigation measures have been planned such as coating the transportation conveyor system. Ventilation chimney and dust filtration bags will be installed dust detector. The trees around the project area are planted to detect the dust as well.      

 
 
2.Will the project compete to use the public water sources of the people?
The project will not certainly use the public water sources in the community and nearby. The project has been confirmed by the Udon Thani Provincial
Waterworks Authority (PWA) insisting that they can sufficiently supply the water for project’s workers and staff consumption without impacting to the public
water usage.     		  
 
3.How will the project manage the dust generated by the construction and transportation?
The project have the preventive and mitigation measures for dust generated during land preparation and construction by limiting to excavate the open ground
as necessary. Construction will be fast conducted with spraying water in the construction page and road to protect the dust spreading. The vehicle that will exit
from the project must be washed their wheels to protect the dust sticking the wheels as well as limiting of their driving speed within the project area. Product
transportation and load must be close system. The load trucks must also be the container type to protect the dust spreading to public communities.
            		 
  4.If the project’s transportation causing noise disturbance and roada damaged, how will the project manage?
     - Project manage the potential noise disturbance by constructing the galvanized iron sheets with three meters height to blockage the noise. This method
can reduce the noise from the project activities.  Moreover, schedule for mining preparation activities and construction that will be conducted in the day time
to protect the livelihood will be also planned.  In addition, the project manages to use selectively all equipment that generates the low level of noise with regular
maintenance to protect seedy.
    - The project has the rules to limit the speed of the vehicle driving in and out from the project area. Moreover, there is fund set for supporting and improving
the road surface if damage is occurred.
  
 
5.How will the project plan to manage in case of storm, heavy rain, and earthquake?
Based on the statistics of the maximum heavy rainfall occurred in Udon Thani as recorded in the past 500 years, the project has designed that the fresh
water ponds and the brine ponds will be able to store the rain water for 8 and 3.4 days respectively if maximum rainfall occurs. However, based on the fact, the
chance to occur of this situation is very narrow. If it still occurs as force majeur, however, the project will follow the emergency plan as scheduled or pause
production immediately.      		  
 
6.Will the mining operations impact to the groundwater contamination by brine and also the drinking water? And what is then the project
planning to resolve?
The brine pond is designed with the pebble layers and floored with 2 layers of HDPE plastic liner. There is underground water collection pipeline system to be
monitored and collect brine if leakage occurs. Besides, the brine from tailing area will be flown to the brine pond, therefore, there is no brine leakage occurred
in the project area. 		 
 
7.How will the project take responsibilities if the land subsidence occurs and impact to the structure of the people’s residence?
If the impact caused by the project as investigated by the committee occurs, the project plans to have the risk insurance against damages on properties
caused by the mining operation as regulated by the Article 88/6(7) and 88/13 of the Mineral Act B.E. 2510 amended by the Mineral Act (no.5) B.E. 2545,
and the Notification of the Ministry of Industry on “Criteria and Conditions of Underground Mining License Application”. Moreover, the project also plans to
have the risk insurance fund for the environment and development of quality of the people’s life in the communities. This fund will be expensed to solve the
possible environmental problems caused by the project activities. In case of delaying of the insurance company’s compensation or during the investigation
to assess the damage cost, this will be used as reserved fund for the people who are impacted. 		 
 
8.How will the project manage to mitigate if leakage and contamination of chemical substances occurs? 
The project has designed to install the monitoring system for chemical substance leakage detection in the project area. Chemical substances and waste
will be stored and removed properly by following the sanitary regulation.   		  
 
9.How will the project manage if noise disturbance caused by mining occurs?
The Nong Takai Naur village is the closest community to the project area. It is found that the noise level caused by the project operation is within
the standard of noise level as defined (70 dB).  When the disturbance level is considered, it is also found that it is within the standard as regulated.
However, the project prepares the measures to mitigate and reduce the impact in mining preparation stage, mining operation stage and post-mining
stage to the adjacent communities. It is expected that the noise level caused by the mining activity will impact to the livelihood of the people in zero
dangerous level. 		 
 
10.How will the project plan to manage the waste?
The project will set up the individual department to take direct responsible for the waste management. The company name conducting waste management that
hired by the project will be also indicated for further investigation.		  
 
11.How will the project plan for intendance of the project area and communities after mine closure?
The project plans to rehabilitate the mine condition to be similar to the original area prior to mining including the rehabilitation of underground mine spaces by
backfilling to protect surface subsidence, while the mine rehabilitation plan for surface mine activities can be conducted in various methods such as constructing
of public park, lake, recreation place or tourist attraction place etc., which are under consideration of APPC. 		 
 


Sociological and Public Health

1.The resolution of conflict in communities by the people who against vs supporting the project.
The conflict occurred is the difference in people’s ideas caused by the concerns of environmental impacts and improper information known.
The conflict seems to be more violence because the methods used for opposing the project by the protesters. However, the project has tried to
provide the information of the project in detail and the community relation activities conducted continually to strengthen and make understanding
to the communities.   

  
 
2.The mining license application submitted by the project with the transparency procedures.
The project operates all activities in compliance with the rules regulations and other related laws of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy
and Planning (ONEP) and Department of Primary Industries and Mines (DPIM). 		 
 
3.The Project should have the discussions with the Province’s Environmental Conservative group in order to continually reduce
the conflict in communities.
The project is conducting to have discussion and listen to the opinions of the Province’s Environmental Conservative group, Udon thani.     		  
 
4.Will the increasing of the labours from other regions impact to the local labours?
The project’s policy is to hire the local labours as the priority. This results to the decline of the labours from other regions migrating into the project area.
 

 
 

5.Will the people be able to investigate the project in the stage of mining operation to ensure that the mining won’t excavate the ore outside
the mining lease boundary?
Notification in accordance with the section 88/11 of Minerals Act (No.4/1) on specification of  the underground mining states that the Director-General of the
Department of Primary Industries and Mines (DPIM) must call for meeting with the stakeholders that refer to the stakeholders representative, heads of sub-
districts, heads of the villages,  group of Management and Members from Local Administrative Organization Council, and the land owners and people who live
in the mining areas to set up the committee in order to investigate and monitor all the operation procedures of the mining project. Therefore, the public can be
confidence in this monitoring committee role to inspect and follow up project operations even in the stage of project preparation and especially in the stage of
ore production to control the mining excavation within the mining lease boundary.      

 
 
6.How will the project plan to supervise the people’s health in the project area?
Project will support the public health units in mining area in the form of the service places and personnel and provide authorized mobile medical unit to assist
people in project area and nearby.  Moreover, the project plans to set up the fund of 100 million baht throughout the approved mining lease years for
monitoring the health care that may be impacted by the project in the communities.