Minerals and energy are the natural wealth of any state. A number of factors such as industrial growth of a region depend on the availability of suitable mineral deposits and raw materials and the energy resources readily available in the vicinity. Kerala is a veritable treasure trove of freely occurring mineral deposits. Hydro energy too is available easily but due the inability to harness the full potential of such power the state of Kerala is facing certain troubled conditions. However the Government is taking adequate steps to reverse the situation and increase indigenous power production at a lower cost.
Minerals:
The mineral resources of a state are its greatest asset. The minerals not only earn the state revenue and foreign currency by export to other states and other countries respectively, they also form the raw material for the industries based on them. Kerala is a mineral rich state. The soil is loaded with a variety of inorganic minerals like Kaolin, Bauxite, Monozite, Zircon, Quartz and Silimanite. The golden sands of Quilon beach are rich in the heavier variety minerals such as Monozite, Ilmenite, Rutile, Zircon and Silimanite. The total are of the state under mineral mining is as per the following table.
Minerals Area (in Ha)
The state is plenteous in China Clay or Kaolin which forms an important raw material in the production of porcelain items such as crockery and glazed tiles. It is the finest variety of Kaolin found in the entire country and is fundamental in the high tension insulators and sanitary ware producing units. About 80 million tonnes of such fine China Clay are to be found in this state. Another variety of clay is found in Kerala and is useful albeit of an inferior variety. Called Fire Clay this deposit is estimated to amount to 12 million tomes. It forms the raw material in the production of tiles and bricks. Graphite, an allotrope of carbon which is used in the manufacture of the lead used in pencils also occurs freely in the state. The silica and quartz (both essential in production of glass and lens) deposits in the state are estimated to be at 75 million tones. The remaining mineral deposit wealth of the state is a composition of 79 million tonnes of iron ores, 25 million tonnes of limestone, 11 million tonnes of bauxite, 35 million tonnes of ilmenite, 3 million tonnes of rutile, 1 million tonnes of monozite and 0.7 million tonnes of borophite. The bounties of the state’s mineral wealth need to be exploited and put to proper use. The industrial potential of this mineral treasure has not been reined in yet. The following table features the figures of production and sale of minerals in Kerala during the year 1999-2000
Reference:
http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/kerala/keralaminerals.htm
