Tailings dam failures: A critical evaluation of current policies and practices

Abstract

• Examines tailings dam failures, emphasizing operational failures and regulatory gaps in safety management. • Highlights the importance of advanced monitoring technologies to prevent catastrophic tailings dam failures. • Recommends sustainable practices like dry stacking and timely reclamation for safer tailings dam management. • Emphasizes the necessity for comprehensive environmental impact assessments and construction standard adherence. • Calls for enhanced community involvement and transparent decision-making in tailings dam management. This study investigates the catastrophic failure of the tailings dam at Shanxi Daoer Aluminum Co., Ltd. on March 27, 2022, which led to a significant mud spill and exposed critical shortcomings in tailings dam safety and environmental management. This incident is part of a broader pattern of tailings dam failures, with global data showing 154 major accidents between 1961 and 2022, highlighting the urgent need for improved safety measures. The disaster, aggravated by excessive resource exploitation and insufficient regulatory oversight, resulted in severe ecological damage and highlighted substantial safety risks. Despite prior warnings from local residents and environmental groups about visible structural issues, the lack of preventive action led to the dam's eventual failure, which resulted in the submersion of 7.5 acres of woodland and significant infrastructure damage. This event underscores the urgent need for thorough environmental impact assessments, strict adherence to construction standards, and greater involvement of media, local communities, and stakeholders in decision-making. Using fluid dynamics simulations, this research offers valuable insights into the behavior of tailings sand and water within the dam, revealing key patterns in fluid distribution, deposition, and turbulence that inform better design and management practices. The simulation results demonstrate critical relationships between turbulence intensity, particle distribution, and structural stability, providing quantitative support for improved dam design guidelines. The study also identifies serious deficiencies in transparency and accountability, including the failure to adopt advanced monitoring technologies such as InSAR and mass flow simulations, which could have provided early warnings. Our analysis reveals that implementation of these technologies could have detected warning signs up to two years before the failure, demonstrating the critical importance of proactive monitoring systems. Furthermore, the findings emphasize the importance of sustainable practices like dry stacking and timely reclamation for improving the safety and stability of tailings dams. This research provides essential guidance for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and environmental experts, advocating for rigorous safety standards, proactive risk management, and robust regulatory frameworks to ensure more sustainable and responsible tailings dam management, ultimately protecting the environment and local communities.

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