Mining Industry Turns to Digital Solutions for Tailings Dam Safety

Tailings dams, a crucial part of mining operations, pose significant risks to nearby communities if not properly monitored. The 2022 collapse of a tailings dam in Jagersfontein, South Africa, resulted in loss of life and extensive infrastructure damage—an event experts believe could have been prevented with better technology.

According to Alastair Bovim, CEO of Insight Terra, advancements in real-time data analytics and IoT technology now provide mining engineers with the ability to closely monitor tailings dams. This offers a proactive approach to mitigating disasters.

“Tailings waste is a by-product of mining that needs to be stored and managed effectively,” said Bovim. “Sometimes it’s dry, consisting of rock heaps, but wet tailings present the real danger.”

A New Era of Digital Monitoring

Tailings dams operate like living systems, expanding as more mining waste is deposited. The bottom layers harden over time, while the upper sections remain water-saturated and unstable. To prevent failures, engineers deploy various monitoring tools, including inclinometers that track shifts in dam walls and piezometers that measure water pressure within the structure.

These instruments feed data into Insight Terra’s cloud-based analytics engine, which processes and identifies risk factors. The system generates predictive models, alerting engineers when readings indicate potential instability.

Technology Challenges and Solutions

Remote mining locations present connectivity challenges, but Insight Terra has adapted its system accordingly. Some mines leverage fiber or 4G networks, while more isolated sites rely on satellite connections.

“In some cases, we process and compress data by up to 70% before sending it to the cloud, reducing reliance on expensive satellite bandwidth,” Bovim explained.

Since its first project in Mexico in 2018, Insight Terra has expanded operations to Chile, Norway, and South Africa. Beyond tailings dams, its technology is now being used for landslide risk assessment and methane gas monitoring in industries such as agriculture and oil &