(TibetanReview.net, Jul16’23) – China said Jul 14 that it was returning to nature part of its largest national chromium mining operations area which is located in occupied Tibet. However, it is not only continuing the mining operation, albeit with claims of improved environmental standards, but also building a new settlement for the miners who are typically immigrants from China.
Known on the plateau for its chromium output, Chusum county in Lhokha City of Tibet autonomous region is home of the Norbusa mining area of the ShanNan branch of the China Baowu Tibet Mining Company, said China’s official chinadaily.com.cn Jul 14. It is the largest chromium-producing area in China (meaning People’s Republic of China).
Chromium is used to harden and polish steel and to create stainless steel.
Located at an altitude of 4,200 metres, the company was added to the national green mining list in 2020 thanks to its achievements in following a green path, the report said.
The company has claimed to have invested more than 50 million yuan ($7 million) to renovate more than 63 hectares of mined-out areas.
“We can see grass growing in the restored areas now, and we planted more than 2,000 trees in the spring with the help of more than 120 workers,” Li Jun, deputy general manager of the sub-branch of the company in Lhokha, has said.
Kelsang Dawa, another deputy general manager of the company’s sub-branch in Lhokha, has said the company is improving safety standards and also following a green development path in technical innovation and use of resources.
The company has said its next plan is to build a residential community for workers, adding it will have lawns, drainage systems, a sports field and a parking lot.
China’s large-scale mining operations across the Tibetan Plateau are typically manned by workers brought in from China and they dominate the population of the local areas in which the mines operate. They in turn attract other Chinese immigrants who open shops, restaurants, and offer all kinds of other services as well to the miners.