LAND DEGRADATION DUE COAL MINING IN KOSOVO BASIN

Mining activity exerts a long lasting impact on landscape, eco-system and socio-cultural-economic considerations. The coal basin of Kosovo has a huge coal reserves, they are the main power sources for thermal power plant stations of Kosovo. Kosovo coal is lignite type. The lignite is distributed across the Kosovo, Dukagjini and Drenica Basins, although mining has so far been restricted to the Kosovo Basin. The first systematic records of lignite exploitation since 1992, when a small scale, shallow underground room-and-pillar mining commenced in the Kosovo Basin. The considerable reserves of lignite in Kosovo basin, ascertain from geological exploration, present important recourse in one side whereas its exploitation for combustion in Kosovo power plants presents a great environmental problem on the other side. Kosovo lignite presents a type coal with a great quantity of inorganic matter, with presence of some harmful elements and release of polluted gases during its combustion in power plants, hereby causing the degradation and pollution of environment in high degree and relatively great spatial dimensions.