DISTRICT SURVEY REPORT SALEM DISTRICT Page Chapter Content No. 1. Introduction 1 2. Overview of Mining/ Quarrying Activity in the District 4 3. General Profile of the District 11 4. Geology and Mineral Wealth of the District 12 5. Drainage of Irrigation pattern 21 6. Land Utilisation Pattern in the District: Forest, Agricultural, 25 Horticultural, Mining etc., 7. Surface Water and Ground Water scenario of the District 28 8. Rainfall of the District and climatic condition 29 9. Details of quarrying Leases in the District 34 10. Details of Revenue and Production in last three years 34 11. Mineral Map of the District 35 12. List of Letter of Intent (LOI) Holder in the District along with 36 its validity 13. Total Mineral Reserve available in the district 36 14. Quality/Grade of Mineral available in the district 37 15. Use of Mineral 37 16. Demand and supply of the Mineral in the last three years 37 17. Mining Leases marked on the map of the district 38 18. Details of the area of where there is a cluster of the mining 40 leases 19. Details of Eco-sensitive area 40 20. Impact on the environment due to Mining activity 40 21. Remedial measures to mitigate the impact of mining on the 40 environment 22. Reclamation of the mined out area 44 23. Risk assessment & Disaster Management Plan 44 24. Details of Occupational health issue in the District 45 25. Plantation and Green belt development in respect of leases 45 already granted in the district 26. Any other information 46 Page No. Figure. LIST OF FIGURE Fig1 District Map of Salem 3 Fig 2 Geological map of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry 12 Fig 3 Google image showing the existing major and minor mineral mines 19 / quarries along with existing ML awarded for major minerals Fig 4 Map showing the locations of fieldwork carried out along with 20 commodity Fig 5 Stages of River 23 Fig 6 Area of accumulation of sediments 24 Fig 7 Land use land cover map of Salem District 2010 27 Fig 8 Season-wise Rainfall for Salem District 31 Fig 9 Rainfall recorded for the year of 2017-18 32 Fig 10 District Rainfall map Tamil Nadu 32 Fig 11 Showing the location of Overall Mining and Quarries leases granted 38 in Salem District. Fig 12 Showing the location of Soapstone/ Steatite Minerals 39 1. Introduction Salem is located at 110 14’ N - 120 53’ N to 770 44’ E - 780 50’ E, at an average elevation of 278 m (912 ft). The city is surrounded by hills: Nagaramalai on the North, Jarugumalai on the south, Kanjamalai on the West, Godumalai on the East and the Shevaroy Hills on the NorthEast. Kariyaperumal Hill is in SouthWestern Salem. The Thirumanimutharu River flows through the city, dividing it in two. The fort area is the oldest part of Salem. Salem has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). January and February are generally pleasant; the hot Summer begins in March, with the year's highest temperatures during April. Pre-Monsoon thunderstorms occur during April and May. The SouthWest Monsoon season lasts from June to September. The NorthEast Monsoon occurs from October to December. Salem is a Geologist’s paradise, surrounded by hills and the landscape dotted with hillocks. The district is rich in mineral deposits like Magnesite, Bauxite, Granite, Limestone, Quartz and Iron ore. Mining Allied industries like Cement Industry, Refractory Bricks manufacturing, Smelting Plant etc thrive well. Latitude 110 14’ N - 120 53’ N Longitude 770 44’ E - 780 50’ E AREA & POPULATION 1. Area (Sq.kms) 5950 2. Population 3482056 3. Population Density (Sq.kms) 665 REVENUE ADMINISTRATION 1. Divisions (4) Salem Attur Mettur Sangakiri [District Survey Report, Salem District] Page 1 2. Taluks (13) Salem Salem West Salem South Yercaud Valapadi Attur P.N.Palayam Gangavalli Omalur Mettur Kadayampatti Sangakiri Edappadi 3. Firkas 44 4. Revenue Villages 655 LOCAL ADMINISTRATION 1. Corporation (1) Salem 2. Municipalities (4) Attur Mettur Edappady Narasingapuram ( 3rd Grade ) 3. Panchayat Unions (20) Salem Veerapandi Panamarathupatty Ayothiyapattinam Valapady Yercaud Attur Pethanaickenpalayam Thalaivasal Gengavalli Mecheri Nangavalli Kolathur Omalur Tharamangalam Kadayampatty Sangakiri Magudanchavadi Konganapuram Edappadi 4. Town Panchayats (33) Ayothiapattanam Attayampatty Kannankurichi Kolathur Konganapuram Mechari Omalur [District Survey Report, Salem District] Page 2 P.N.Patty P.N.Palayam Sankari Tharamangalam Thammampatty Valapadi Veerakkalpudur Jalakandapuram Belur Eadanganasalai Elampillai Gangavalli Kadayampatty Karuppur Keeripatty Mallur Panamarathupatty Sendarapatty Thedavoor Thevur Veeraganur Yethapur Arasiramani Nangavalli Poolampatty Vanavasi 4. Village Panchayats (385) Feg.1: District Map of Salem [District Survey Report, Salem District] Page 3 2. Overview of Mining Activity in Salem District Salem is a part of Western Tamil Nadu and is located at the base of the popular tourist destination of the Yercaud hills. Salem boasts large Textile, Steel, Automotive, poultry and sago industries. Salem also has one of the largest Magnesite deposits in India. As per the Department of Geology and Mining, a major part of the mineral wealth of Tamil Nadu is confined to Salem District, where a variety of important minerals like Magnesite, Dunite, Bauxite, Limestone, Iron ore, Quartz, Feldspar and Soapstone, Granites etc, are found. EXISTING LEASES IN AS ON 30.04.2019 Patta Under Sl. I.Major EC Under Patta Poramboke & Total Non- No Minerals Obtained operation Poramboke operation 1 Limestone 42 5 5 52 3 3 49 2 Magnesite & 1 2 - 3 - - 3 Dunite 3 Magnesite 2 8 - 10 2 2 8 4 Bauxite - 1 - 1 1 - 1 Total 45 16 5 66 6 5 61 II.Minor Mineral 1 Black 14 10 - 24 8 8 16 Granite 2 Colour 39 7 - 46 12 12 34 Granite 3 Rough stone 43 66 - 109 92 91 18 4 Soil/gravel 7 - - 7 7 7 0 5 Quartz & 19 3 - 22 2 2 20 Feldspar Total 122 86 5 208 121 120 88 Grand 167 102 5 274 127 125 149 Total [District Survey Report, Salem District] Page 4 In Salem district a total of 274 numbers of leases for Major and Minor minerals have been awarded as on 30.04.2019. Inrespect Major Minerals, out of which 61 were non- working due to want of EC, 6 were EC obtained and 5 were working mines. For minor minerals, a total of 208 numbers of leases were awarded as on 30.04.2019, out of which, 88 numbers were not working due to want of EC, and 120 mines were working out of 121 leases obtained EC. DETAILS OF EXISTING MINES /QUARRIES AS ON 30.04.2019. Number of Name of the S.No existing Extent in Hects. Mineral leases I Major Minerals 1. Limestone 52 414.60.0 2. Magnesite 10 345.60.2 3. Magnesite and 3 1155.88.0 Dunite 4. Bauxite 1 190.84.0 Total-(A) 66 2106.92.2 II Minor Minerals 1. Black Granite 24 99.10.8 2. Colour Granite 46 143.78.5 3. Roughstone 109 160.59.0 4. Gravel 7 12.31.0 III Other 31 Minerals 1 Quartz & 22 35.31.0 Feldspar Total-(B) 208 451.10.3 Grand Total 274 2558.02.5 (A+B) [District Survey Report, Salem District] Page 5 NOTIFIED MINERALS 1. BAUXITE: Bauxite, ore of Aluminium, occur in the form of cappings in the Shevaroy hills of Yercaud Taluk. The shevaroy hills are chiefly made up of the Charnockite group of rocks interBanded with metasedimentary units and cut across by dykes of dolerite. Only low grade bauxite available at the depth of maximum 2m in all the hills followed by ferruginous clay. 2. IRON ORE: A) KANJAMALAI The Iron ore deposits of Kanjamalai hill is of Banded Magnetite Quartzite. Kanjamalai is situated about 8 Km West of Salem Town. It is about seven kilometres long and four kilometres wide and rises to a maximum height of 986 metres above Mean sea level. The Iron ore outcrops of scattered, generally the Magnetite Quartzites occur at three distinct levels. The first or lowermost band occurs near to the base of the Kanjamalai. It can be traced over a length of some 13 Kilometres. The width is very variable (probably depending to some extent on the degree of tight folding) but the average width is about 25 metres. The second or middle band occurs some 300 metres about the plain. In outcrop it is discontinuous over its strike length of about 6 kilometres. The third and uppermost and occurs some 60 metres higher than the second band at a height of some 350 to 370 metres above ground level. The band is about 10 kilometres long (around the complete elliptical outcrop) and about 10 metres wide. The ore in the first and second bands appears similar with an iron content of 33 to 39% Fe. In the band cropping out at the highest level the rock is much more siliceous with a much lower iron content and there is more hematite present. This rock is best described as a ferruginous Quartzite and is of less economic potential than the lower bands. The Iron ore reserves in the first band (lower band) of Kanjamalai 99.3 Million Tonnes and second band reserves (middle band) is about 50 to 60 million tonnes. [District Survey Report, Salem District] Page 6 A) GODUMALAI The Godumalai hill in which the ore crops out is about 7 Kms long and about 3 Kms wide at the Eastern end but in the Western end the iron bands are only some 3 metres wide. The Iron ore bands occupy the crest of the East-West striking ridge and form a series of disjointed folds; in some areas the bands are completely folded in on themselves.