Visual Impact Assessment of Sandstone mines at Pole Doab region in Arak and ways for mitigating undesirable effects

The purpose of the present study is to visual impact assessment of sandstone mines complex at Pole Doab region in Arak. For performing the assessment, Oberholzer 2005 method was employed. In order to do so, a 10-km diameter area centralizing the investigated mines complex was selected and 6 special criteria in addition to 5 other criteria, for specifying the nature of the effects, were investigated altogether, taking advantage of the pre-specified standards and map packages at Arc/Map. The results were as follows: the above-mentioned mines complex has already caused irreparable impacts on the visual resources and the landscape of this region so that all special criteria including the view of the project, the visual activities, the visual sensitivity of the landscape, and the visual recipient and disturbance are indicative of the visual effects at a very high level. Also, as a result of the dense plantation shortage in the area, the capacity of visual attraction for hiding these visual impacts is insignificant. However, the importance of visual impacts is evaluated as average compared to the social and economical developments in the area. Therefore, resuming the ongoing mining activity and future development of the two suggested new mines will be possible provided that a management program package is presented and executed and the harmful effects are diminished. Some fundamental measures of mitigating undesirable effects have pointing out in brief.