Volume 3 Issue 1 ( March 2016 )

Development of mine pit and overburden disposal has caused dynamic changes in the catchment area of Ukud River, one of the rivers that flow through Lati Mining Operation. The maximum discharge of the river reached 13m3 /second and the catchment area occupied a total area of 1901.7 hectares. Since the mining operations started, the river discharge fluctuations have changed considerably. In addition, the catchment area that was dominated by overburden disposal area contained sulphide minerals that potentially degrade the water quality of Ukud River due to the formation of acid mine drainage. Hydrological studies are essential to investigate potential environmental impacts of the mining activities. This study was conducted to determine the characteristics of the hydrologic systems in the mining area using semi-distributed models that can be used to simulate the river flow within catchment area.

Keywords: topmodel; hydrology; runoff; coal mine; acid mine drainage.