Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) - Mining operations can produce Acid Rock Drainage(ARD). MICCL controls ARD through its Zero Discharge policy. Waste dumps are designed and constructed lining with clay and inert material on the sill, bunding with clay and inert material around the dumps to prevent from ground contamination. Potential seepage water from the waste dumps will be collected and contained in interception drains dug along the toe of the waste dumps and pump it back to the containment pond. Clean Aquifer water from Sabetaung Pit is collected in the North Sump and pumped to the surface silt trap. Water quality is monitored before releasing. Contaminated water from the pit is pumped into the Overflow Pond. Runoff released from the process leach pad areas is contained in the Storm-Water Pond and the excessive water will be pumped into the tailings dam. It is recycled as make-up water for the process in irrigating

Water-quality management The Safety and Environmental Department (SE) monitors the minesite water quality. Regional and minesite surface water is monitored monthly. Ground water is monitored on the mine site and in the surrounding villages. Results are reported monthly and corrective action is taken immediately in those areas that are found to require attention. An independent laboratory is employed to analyze and check the samples annually.

Tailings reclamation Earlier mining activity that preceded the formation of MICCL resulted in considerable spills of tailings over 150 hectares of land east of the present operations area, where artisanal miners recover residual copper at subsistence levels. Most of that area is under the control of the local Myanmar authorities. MICCL assumed responsibility to clear out the leftover tailings spills in the leased area to achieve its ISO 14001 Certification and honoured its moral obligation to help clean up part of the area outside the lease, when permitted to do so. In 2006-2007, part of the affected area along the Kyaukmyet Road and in some lease areas was cleaned-up and reclaimed with local contract workers: old tailings were sent back to the Main Tailing Dam