Philip Atta Afriyie
University of Kassel and Göttingen
Programme: M.Sc. Sustainable International Agriculture
Study Topic: Mining-induced noise effects on local communities and livestock: A case study of Zaamar gold mines, Mongolia
Summary: Gold mining in Mongolia's Zaamar region has expanded rapidly in recent years, bringing with it serious concerns about environmental noise and its effects on the people and livestock living nearby. Mining operations run continuously, generating high-intensity noise from heavy machinery, blasting, and vehicle movement. This noise reaches residential areas and pastoral zones, creating both acoustical and non-acoustical stressors that affect human health, well-being, and the productivity of livestock.
This study focuses on assessing the noise levels produced by Zaamar gold mining operations and evaluating the direct and indirect impacts on local communities and livestock. Field-based noise measurements using Class 1 sound level meters were combined with socio-acoustic household surveys across 150 respondents, and LULC-based GIS noise maps were developed through spatial interpolation. This approach enabled measurement of community noise perception, sensitivity, and annoyance, as well as self-reported health outcomes including headaches, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and hearing problems. Noise exposure patterns were also mapped spatially to identify safety zones for both humans and livestock.
The findings were analyzed using correlation, regression, and PLS-SEM methods to evaluate both direct pathways from noise to health outcomes and indirect pathways running through annoyance, sensitivity, demographics etc. as a mediating variable. The study provides evidence-based insights that can inform noise mitigation policies, strengthen mining regulations, and better protect herder livelihoods in mining-affected regions of Mongolia.
Skills: Remote Sensing & Geospatial Analysis, Machine Learning, Data Automation, Python, SQL, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, Field Data Collection, Statistical Analysis, Power BI
Languages: English, Twi
Short Portrait:
2023 – Present: Georg-August University of Göttingen, Germany – M.Sc. Sustainable International Agriculture
2015 – 2019: University for Development Studies, Ghana – B.Sc. Agriculture Technology (Agronomy)
