Post-mining management: Ineris coordinates the European POMHAZ project

The project was the subject of a special closing session on November 6, 2025, during the 32nd International Scientific and Technical Conference on Mining Natural Hazards organized by the GIG, Central Mining Institute, in Jaworze, Poland.
This session allowed to present the project and its main outcomes. It gave indeed the opportunity to demonstrate the spatial Decision Support System developed in the framework of the project. This tool enables the implementation of a new multi-hazard and multi-risk analysis methodology for management purposes and facilitates mapping for post-mining areas. It has been applied to several cases from different European countries to enable its verification and validation. 
 

Before the end of the project, a second newsletter is published to inform the general public about the challenges of multi-hazard and multi-risk in post-mining areas and the objectives and the progress of PoMHaZ project.

Context and scope of the project

The European POMHAZ (Post-Mining Multi-Hazards evaluation for land-planning) research project aims to improve the methods and tools that allow the operational execution of multi-hazard analyses in mining areas. Coordinated by Ineris, the project brings together four European countries (Germany, France, Greece, and Poland) and seven organisations in the field of post-mining management (Ineris, CERTH, GIG-PIB, THGA-DMT, PCC, SRK, TU-BAF).
Co-funded by the European Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS), POMHAZ is operating from October 2022 for a period of three years (until January 2026).
In former mining areas, various types of natural and/or technological hazards coexist with those inherent to mining. The POMHAZ project focuses on the assessment of these hazards and how they interact, the overall management of the area, and any resulting risks. The project deals specifically with abandoned European coal mines, with practical examples of its methods implemented in France, Germany, Greece, and Poland.

Project Methodology

The project’s methods focus on identifying the interaction between hazards and their impact on land planning. Analytical techniques are employed alongside decision support and geographic information systems to ensure the operational incorporation of multi-hazard analyses in the management of mining regions in Europe.

Update 17/11/2025
Update 10/03/2025: newsletter
Update 11/06/2024: newsletter
Update 20/11/2023: introductory video
Update 17/10/2022: the POMHAZ project launch meeting was held on October 13, 2022.