Jaduguda Uranium Mine

Jaduguda Uranium Mine
Location
Jaduguda Uranium Mine
Location in India
Location Jaduguda, Purbi Singhbhum district
State Jharkhand
Country India India
Coordinates 22°23′N 86°13′E / 22.39°N 86.22°E / 22.39; 86.22Coordinates: 22°23′N 86°13′E / 22.39°N 86.22°E / 22.39; 86.22
Production
Products Uranium
History
Opened 1967
Owner
Company Uranium Corporation of India
Website www.ucil.gov.in

The Jaduguda Mine (also spelt as Jadugoda or Jadugora) is a uranium mine in Jaduguda village in the Purbi Singhbhum district of the Indian state of Jharkhand. It commenced operation in 1967 and was the first uranium mine in India.[1] The deposits at this mine were discovered in 1951. As of March 2012 India only possesses two functional uranium mines, including this Jaduguda Mine.[2] A new mine, Tummalapalle uranium mine is discovered and mining is going to start from it.

Geography

The Jaduguda uranium mine is an underground mining mine located in the Purbi Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.[3]

Uranium purification plant

A uranium purification plant is located close to the mine. The final product of this plant is Yellow cake. According to Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the ore extracted from this mine is of 0.065 grade, which means that the plant needs to process 1,000 kg of ore to extract 65 grams of usable uranium.[4] The plant processes 2,190 tonnes uranium ore per day.[5]

After purification of the ore, Yellow cake is shipped by heavy-duty vehicles to the Nuclear Fuel Complex in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, which is over 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) away from plant.[6]

Smuggling of uranium

On 18 February 2008 police of Supaul district in the eastern Indian state of Bihar seized 4 kg of low-quality uranium and arrested one Indian and five Nepali smugglers. According to media reports the uranium was smuggled out of the Jaduguda mines and the smugglers were trying to sell it to Nepal. The market value of the seized uranium was estimated at 50000000 (US$740,000) on the international market.[7][8]

Pollution

In Jaduguda, there is a constant exposure to low and toxic level emission. Children are born with swollen heads, blood disorders and skeletal distortions. Contamination is present in lot of places.[9] Animals such as cows and buffaloes are suffering from rare diseases.[10] Wastes are dumped in open fields, which spreads toxicity.

References

  1. Uranium Corporation of India Archived 26 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. Daunting road ahead for nuclear power M. SOMASEKHAR The Hindu Business Line 2 November 2011
  3. "Uranium plant to come up in Kadapa". The Hindu Business Line.
  4. The $14m haze over India’s mega uranium discovery Arpit Parashar - Tehelka.com
  5. Mill to process natural uranium ore commissioned T.S. Subramanian, The Hindu, 26 June 2007
  6. Uranium ore ferried through Naxal belt sans security PRANBIHANGA BORPUZARI - Financial express
  7. India police seize 8 lbs of uranium from smugglers Reuters 19 February 2008.
  8. Delhi's non-compliance The News, 4 October 2008
  9. "Jaduguda's hapless children". The Hindu (India). 6 May 2006.
  10. "Villages and woes". Frontline (India). 10 September 1999. Archived from the original on 16 June 2008.

External links

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