(The objective of this study is to assess how mining operations are perceived by the affected communities. The factors examined in this study were demographic characteristics and the variables of community awareness and the residual impact generated from mining activities. Land
utilization was an important factor studied as a majority of respondents rely on agriculture activities and forest products for their livelihood). The respondents were highly concerned about their loss of livelihood due to mining activities. 87.27% responded positively to concern
regarding displacement and loss of land. This shows that a majority are aware of the direct impact of open cast mining. The majority (89.1 %) agreed to preserve the nearby forest as community forest. The loss of flora and fauna, aquatic pollution, and, changes of landscape are also major
concerns of the community in terms of environmental impacts
