Rejuvenated Prominence: Reclaiming the Landscape of Extraction Based on Hydro-topographic Network

Abstract

As an ongoing project, Rejuvenated Prominence aims to explore operative and hydro-topographic strategies for the overburdened layer landscape of Mae Moh Mine in Lampang Province, Thailand. The 135 km² mine is located inside Mae Moh Basin, the headwater of Wang River. Since 1969, over 500 million tons of lignite have been extracted, while the remaining reserve of 224 million tons will last for the next 29 years. To recover ecosystems and maintain sustainable development of surrounding communities, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand developed post-mining alternatives from 2020 to 2049. As a part of this research, Rejuvenated Prominence focuses on the 32 km² overburden dump, where rectangular surfaces completely replaced with complex natural terrains, to thoroughly decode the nature’s structure, function and change. Time-based strategies in accordance with the Mine Master Plan deploy hydro-topographic operations combining soil-bioengineering techniques to activate topographic agents and reclaim the land. Re-engineered geomorphic structures would be initiated to moderate rapid runoff, mitigate mass wasting, disperse soil moisture and replenish the topsoil. This dump would be transformed into an operative landscape with complex hydro-topographic networks and reconnected as a part of the projected headwater landscape over time—to realize the resilience of Mae Moh Basin.

Keywords

Mining Landscape / Post-Mining landscapes / Hydrotopographic Network / Soil-Bioengineering / Topography Planning / Mae Moh Mine

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2021 Higher Education Press