Mandena mine
The mine's wet plant in the mining pond | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | Taolagnaro, Fort Dauphin |
| Region | Anosy |
| Country | Madagascar |
| Coordinates | 24°57′32″S 47°00′51″E / 24.959020°S 47.014195°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Ilmenite |
| Type | open-pit |
| History | |
| Discovered | 1986 |
| Active | 1986-present |
| Owner | |
| Company | (Rio Tinto Group subsidiary) QIT-Fer et Titane 80% Government of Madagascar 20% |
| Website | www |
| Local impacts | |
| Pollution | uranium, lead |
| Impacted | Lake Besaroy |
Mandena mine (also Mandena operation, Mandena concession, or the QMM mine) is an ilmenite mine operated by Rio Tinto subsidiary QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM). It is located near Taolagnaro, Fort Dauphin, Anosy region, Madagascar.
The mine was first discovered in 1986 in an environmentally fragile and important region. Mining activity has been met with mixed reactions from the local community, with some protesting in 2013 and 2022.
Pollution from the mine reached nearby Lake Besaroy in 2014 and 2015, before the mine's owners admitted there was no tailing dam on site. Rio Tino promised to improve the environmental protection at the mine in 2004, but walked that promise back in 2016.