Control of water erosion and sediment in open cut coal mines in tropical areas

Japan is the largest coal importer in the world, importing from Australia, China, Indonesia, Canada and Vietnam etc. In Indonesia, most of the produced coal is extracted from open cut mines. More open cut coal mines will be developed to fill the demand for coal in Indonesia and the world. Many surveys and projects for developing new coal mines and transferring mining technology are being carried out in tropical counties such as Indonesia and Vietnam with the aid of the Japanese Government. It is, however, pointed out that unreasonable development of many mines in tropical areas will damage the environments around mines and cultivated lands and reduce the precious rainforest, leading to the instability of the global climate and the food crisis in the world. This paper describes the control of water erosion and sediment in order to avoid potential environmental impacts from open cut coal mines in tropical areas such as Indonesia and Vietnam.