Task Force Report - Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Himalayan ...

Table 2.11. Production of Some Minerals from the IHR
State Production in ‘000 ton (Values in parenthesis are Rs ‘000)
Coal Limestone Magnesite Gypsum Bayrite Copper
Concentrate
J&K 19 (12889) 228 (52074) 32636
(16994)
Himachal
7585
549 (714)
Pradesh
(634998)
Uttarakhand 56160
(43776)
Sikkim 157 (4038)
Meghalaya* 5781 550 (97014)
(8469165)
Assam 1100 406 (62550)
(1798886)
Steatite
98162
(41884)
* Does not include private mines where working conditions are very difficult.
In the context of the fragility of the IHR, stringent
zoning and clear environmental stipulations must
precede any mining operation, especially for the
large ones. Mandatory SEA for mining operations
and identification of the most appropriate technology
for extraction, processing and transportation is
needed before new mining activities are allowed.
Development of skills for doing this should be the
first step.
2.5. VULNERABILITY TO DISASTERS
2.5.1. Earthquakes
The geological set up, high seismic vulnerability
coupled with high precipitation collectively make
the IHR highly prone to geological hazards like
earthquakes, landslides and floods. The Himalayan
frontal belt, flanked by the Chaman fault in the west
and the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone in the north, is
one of the most seismically active intra-continental
regions of the world. Based on the seismic zonation
map of the country, the state wise vulnerability of
the IHR is presented in Table 2.12.
Despite recent advances in seismology and
instrumentation, earthquakes still remain the
most unpredictable phenomena among the natural
disasters in the IHR. Sandwiched between the
landmass of Asia and the northwardly advancing
plate of India (moving northwards at the rate of
approx. 5.5 cm/year), the Himalayan region is
under very strong, persistent compression. The
dissipation of strain manifests in the rupturing
of the Himalayan crust. It has been estimated
that approximately 60% of the Himalayan region
has enough stored elastic energy to drive five to
eight great earthquakes. Since an earthquake
causes a complex ground motion, both horizontal
and vertical, most man made structures as well
as the steep slopes in the Himalaya come under
considerable tensile and shear, in addition to
compressive stress, cumulatively resulting in
devastation. Earthquakes exceeding 8.0 in the
Richter scale have been recorded in the past in
IHR, causing enormous destruction and loss of life.
Some of the major earthquake events which have
occurred in the IHR are listed in Table 2.13.
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Report of the Task Force