Selection of the Appropriate Alternative for the Jubon Sand Mine Reclamation by Using FTOPSIS Method for Sustainable Development in the Region

Nowadays, due to population growth, the optimal use of land is a paramount importance. For example, in mining areas, a large area is occupied for the mining purpose which sometimes exceeds several hectares. In this regard, the amount of destruction and the environmental harms resulted from mining increases upon the rise of quantity and capacity of mines. On the other hand, since both mineral products and environment are a necessity for humans, one cannot be sacrificed for the other one. So, the logical solution is concurrent development. To this end, the reclamation of areas left after mining could be very effective. Therefore, the purpose of this study is finding a suitable alternative for the reclamation of the Jubon sand mine, by taking into account the potentials of the region to achieve the goal of sustainable development.

In this research, firstly the (previous) works done for the reclamation of similar mines were studied, then by examining the potentials of the region, different alternative for mine reclamation were proposed. Then, each of the alternatives was evaluated based on different criteria such as topography, slope, soil type, ownership, access road, beneficiary’s motivation and etc. Finally, in order to select the most appropriate alternative for mine reconstruction method of Similarity to Fuzzy Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) was used.

Given that deciding on a suitable alternative for mine reclamation is a multi-criteria issue and the criteria are in conflict with each other. On the other hand, in decision-making issues, human thoughts are associated with uncertainty, and this uncertainty influenced the process of decision-making. The FTOPSIS method which takes into account all the indicators were very effective.

Land reclamation and environmental regeneration is an effective way to use land resources economically and help to coordinate people and land in the mining area. Successful and sustainable reclamation requires an interdisciplinary approach that leads to an integrated and effective plan to rehabilitate environmental, hydrological, aesthetic and recreational conditions. Therefore, the need for holistic approach in decision-making and the use of different people with different jobs, specialties, experiences, backgrounds and scientific perspectives, along with the use of multi-criteria fuzzy decision-making techniques can be very effective. Therefore, in this article, in order to determine the appropriate alternative for reconstruction by examining the effective infrastructure factors in reclamation and the use of various scientific resources, among the seven proposed alternatives, considering 17 effective criteria, the alternative of creating a business area was selected as a suitable option.