Mining in Kutch
Kutch is an extremely rich region for non-metallic minerals. The region has the largest reserves of limestone, kaolin, bauxite, silica sand and bentonite in Gujarat and these reserves are also significant as far as India’s reserves for these minerals are concerned. Kutch has the largest number of mines under lease in Gujarat. In 2002-03, 628 mines and quarry with an area of 7974 hectares was leased mineral production and Kutch is the largest contributor of royalties earned from leased mines in Gujarat.
Figures of production of different minerals in Kutch show that the mining and mineral industry has grown significantly after the year 2000. Today, it is the largest producer of kaolin, lignite, bentonite and salt in Gujarat. Limestone,silica sand, kaolin and gypsum which form an important ingredient for cement and ceramic industry are all produced in Kutch. Production of these minerals has grown at an average 15 percent per annum from 1995-2002.
Till late 1990s, Kutch hardly experienced any industrialization based on its mineral resource base. But gradually mineral based industries are developing in the region. Sanghi cement plant was the first major mineral based industry established during the late 1990s. Recent data exhibits that around 23 percent of the total investment flowing into the region is in the mineral based industries.
But mineral strength of the region is yet not exploited fully. For e.g. Although the region possesses much more limestone reserves than that of the southerncoastal districts of Saurashtra, there is only one major cement industry in the region in comparison to five in southern-coastal Saurashtra. Similarly much awaited alumina plant has yet not been established and still raw bauxite is being exported to developed countries. There is also scope for glass and glassware and ceramic and porcelain industries. Such industries and successive ancillarisation can change dynamics of regional economics within a very short period of time.
Moreover, the presence of state of the art ports and logistics and good reserves suggest a strong potential for mineral based industries in the region. But it is extremely important to upgrade the road and rail transport infrastructure in the areas, where mines are located.
Brief Geology and Mineral Availability
The geological formations in the region range from Middle Jurassic to late Tertiary periods. It has unconformities breaking the succession between the Middle Cretaceous and Supra-trappean and Middle Kirthar and finally Miocene and Pliocene. Kutch is considered to be an eastern extension of the mobile belt then a part of the unfolded and stable peninsular foreland of India. In this orogen, Mesozoic and Tertiary terrestrial and marine sediments and Deccan Traps have been involved in folding movements which began in middle Tertiary time and continued intermittently into the Quaternary.
The Jurassic rocks occupy a large area in Kutch and are exposed in three anticlinal ridges trending east-west. The northern range which is about 160 km long includes four elevations, viz., Pachham, Khadir, Bela and Chorad in the Rann of Kutch. The middle range is about 290 km from Lakhpat to west. The southern ridge, south of Bhuj, is 64 km long. The general anticlinal folds in Kutch are NWSE in the western part of the district swinging to E-W in the eastern part. Small structural domes and saddles, aligned along the anticlinal axes are typical to this region. The basic rock formation is of four main divisions based on fossil contains, viz., Pachham, Chari, Katrol and Umia series. Geology of Kutch has provided the region with various non-metallic minerals in abundance.
Kutch is a mineral rich region. Mineral resources in a region play very important role in industrialisation. The important minerals available in Kutch are mostly of fuel, metallic and non-metallic categories. Limestone, bauxite, lignite, kaolin and bentonite are the important and gypsum, white clay, ball clay, fire clay are the ‘minor’ minerals available in Kutch. Moreover, Kutch is also bestowed with sand stone, murram, black trap, etc.
Limestone
Kutch has the largest deposits of limestone in Gujarat with 67 percent of the total proved reserves. The deposits in Kutch are of three different geological ages and are concentrated in Abdasa and Lakhpat talukas. Shear deposits of limestone are also estimated in the talukas of Bhuj and Nakhatrana.
The quality of limestone (CaO=49.06%, MgO=2.10%, SiO2=4.06%, P2O5=3.75%) available in Kutch is cement grade.
Production (IN MT): 72,18,071
Lignite
Lignite basically is a fuel mineral found in four districts of Gujarat and Kutch possesses 15.2 percent of the total proved reserves in Gujarat. The tertiary rock belt in western Kutch mostly in the Lakhpat Taluka (in Panandhro, etc) has large deposits of lignite.
The quality of lignite found in Kutch has higher calorific value (3500-4500) compared to lignite found in other parts of Gujarat. Also the presence of sulphur content (dry basis 1% -6%) in the lignite adds to the quality of lignite.
Production (IN MT): 51,91,032
Bentonite
Bentonite deposits of Kutch have earned fame in the world market due to their usefulness in the steel casting industry. There are large deposits of Bentonite in Kutch, which is estimated to be of around 105 million mt (Government of Gujarat, Mining and Geology Department). Bhavnagar with 45 million mt of reserves is the second district of Gujarat in terms of reserves. In Kutch, the single largest deposits of bentonite are concentrated in Sherdi-Vandh area of Mandvi Taluka. Moreover there are reserves in Nakhatrana and Abdasa Talukas. Kutch accounts for 57 percent of the states and 16 percent of the country’s reserves of bentonite (2002).
Production (IN MT): 23,33,765
Kaolin or China Clay
Kutch accounts for 62 percent of the Kaolin reserves in Gujarat. The reserves are mostly concentrated in Rapar and Bhachau Talukas. In addition to this, recently, a massive 200 million metric tonnes of Kaolin reserves have been discovered in Rapar Taluka.
Kaolin reserves in Kutch are of national importance. Kerala (29%), Rajasthan (21%), Gujarat (14%) and Andhra Pradesh are the major producers of Kaolin in India. Kutch is the largest (73%) producer of Kaolin in the state followed by Mehsana and Sabarkantha.
Ceramic grade (Al4 Si4 O10 (OH) 8) is usually found in Kutch.
Production (IN MT): 45,92,345
Bauxite
Bauxite deposits in Kutch are confined between the Deccan Traps and tertiary sediments covering a length of about 50 km. Kutch has the largest bauxite reserve in the state; a 40.7 percent of the total proved reserves. However, around 70 percent of the bauxite is of low grade and requires refinement before any value addition.
Kutch Bauxite is Gibsitic and superior grade (Al2O3=50.02%, SiO 2 = 5.22%, Fe2O3 = 11.47%, TiO2 = 4.38%, CaO + MgO = 1.61%, LOI = 26.93%), However, it is estimated that only 25 percent of it is Grade I and rest 75 percent is low and medium grade.
Production (IN MT): 1,38,841
Silica Sand
Kutch is an extremely important region for its proved silica sand reserves. Around 98 percent (152.8 million tonnes) of the Silica Sand reserves in Gujarat are found in Kutch. The reserves in Kutch are more than 45 percent of the total proved reserves in India (336.3 million tonnes). It is an extremely significant reserve after the same in Haryana possessing the largest reserves in the country.
Silica sand available in Kutch is comparatively of low grade (Fe2O3=0.3%, TiO2=0.43%, CaO=0.21%, Na2O=0.03%) and needs technology upgradation for various industrial purposes.
Production (IN MT): 4,29,481