Environment-friendly mining project launched in NW Pakistan
Pakistan Times National News Desk

CHITRAL: Aga Khan Rural Support Programme and IUCN have initiated a two-year project entitled "Environmental Friendly and Safe Marble and Granite mining for Sustained Livelihoods in Chitral.

Besides conducting geological and feasibility studies of the resources base in selected areas, the project also involves a series of capacity building trainings coupled with investment seminars and market studies.

The project that was kicked off in September 2005 has recently concluded geological studies of the resources base in 7 selected sites in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence in Geology University of Peshawar.

In the second leg of operations it has successfully undertaken the 1st session of the marble block extraction trainings with the help of experts from University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar.

Chitral is one of he biggest deposits of dimensional stone resources in Pakistan mainly comprising marble, granite, serpentine and slate.

The reserves of marble stone run into well over a million tons excluding the resources of more than 70 percent of the area where lack of infrastructure facilities currently inhibits mining activities.

Put together the market value of these reserves that run into billions of tons is valued at several billion dollars if properly taped into.

Chitral is also home to important base metals including gold, copper, iron, ore as well as other identical items.●