Managing tailings dams

Despite the efforts on tailings dams management, failures of such dams still occur. Generally, such failures not only leave physical devastation and a severely damaged industry reputation but also grave consequences for the industry's access to land. Addressing these issues, the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) jointly developed a new website that allows access to a library of good practice references on tailings and the ability to search through the database with tailings-specific search criteria. In 2005, ICMM also teamed up with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UK government's Department for International Development (DFID) to develop an online library of good practices that support ICMM's principles of sustainable development. Released in November, the publication which is entitled "Good Practice in Emergency Preparedness and Response", covers everything from identifying who does what in an emergency, to training and proper community liaison.