These Three Cities Were Relocated Because Of Their Mines
Since the beginning of time, natural disasters have been the prime cause of human beings shifting their bases. However, as humanity evolved and industrialisation picked up, Mother Nature's fury was not the only reason that drove people away from their homes; industrial activities had their own role to play.
PropGuide lists three cities that had to completely relocate as a result of mining activities:
Kiruna, Sweden
The most recent example of this is the Swedish city of Kiruna. It is estimated that by 2050, the whole city would sink into the iron mines upon which it stands at present. Soon after being founded in 1900, the cold city of Kiruna, in Sweden's Lapland province, became a hotspot for mining activities. The mountains of Kiirunavaara near the city, rich with their iron ore, would soon be a place which would drive the overall economy of the place. Industrial activities kicked in, went through their rough and smooth patches, and started showing their adverse impact in the form of cracks in the very foundation of the city by 2004.
By the year 2010, the local authorities were ready with their decision to move the city two miles towards the east. White Arkitekter AB, the company which has done the planning for the relocation starting 2014, expects Kiruna's total population of about 20,000 to be well settled in the new city within two decades. Hibbing, the US
The city's founder smelt the iron ore deposits and their potential before anyone else could. Founded by a German named Frank Hibbing in 1893, the city of Hibbing was fortunate enough to have a pie of the Iron Range of Minnesota, US; it was built on the Mesabi Iron Range.
The city also boasts one of the world's largest open-pit iron mines, the Hull-Rust-Mahoning Mine. This attracted major iron ore companies here from across the world, and the massive mining work that followed left corporations asking for more. The owner of Oliver Mining, Henry Oliver of Pittsburg, had a plan in mind. The company funded the shift of the city's population two miles away towards south. The city saw about 2,000 structures being moved away to make way for the miner between 1919 and 1921.
In those days, transport and planning were still done completely by humans; the use of machinery was limited. The relocation of Hibbing was a good example of combined human efforts to accomplish a challenging task. Morococha, Peru
The fate of Morococha in Peru's Yauli province was quite similar to that of Hibbing. The Toromocho Mountain on which the city stands has rich copper deposits. It attracted multinationals involved in the mining business. The regulated mining boom that started in the 1930s ended in a conflict. Based on the premise that the city was standing on toxic waste, so it must move away, a local company PeruCopper in 2006 applied to the government for relocation of the city's 5,000 people. However, the contract to implement the plan went to a Chinese state company, Chinalco. The demolition of the old city is in underway, despite several protests by local people. Chinalco, meanwhile, is setting up the new city five miles away.