Huge deposits of high quality uranium have been unearthed at a village in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district. Notably, the first indication of uranium's presence in the Gudabanda village came nine years back, when authorities saw signs in an aerial survey.
Gudabanda, famous for its emeralds, will also be known for its uranium deposits now. The uranium deposits, most likely found in 0.5 grade, were discovered in the underground hills, surrounded by a forest.
After drilling 125 rounds reaching the depth of around 600 metres, huge deposits of uranium were discovered, officials said.
In 2015-16, during an aerial survey, signs of uranium were seen underneath the surface. Through the heli-borne geophysics technique, 3D pictures were taken up to a depth of 600 meters with the help of a helicopter. The technique, developed by the Indian Council of Scientific Research and National Physical Research Institute, proved to be effective in identifying uranium reserves.
The drilling in search of uranium started in August 2021, overseen by the Directorate of Atomic Minerals Exploration and Research and the Department of Atomic Energy.
While 70 drillings were done on 5.05 acres of forest land, the remaining 55 drillings were done on government land.
The names of the landowners whose land has been found to have uranium are Kandari Santhal, Vaidnath Santhal, Dasi Santhal and Ramjit Santhal.
Ramdas Soren (local MLA and state Education Minister) said "The uranium reserves found in Gudabanda block of my Assembly constituency will provide prosperity to the country in the field of energy. This is a matter of happiness for the state and the country. This will also open employment opportunities".
The world's oldest mountain range emerging from the sea level is located in Musabani of East Singhbhum district and Gudabanda block adjoining its border.
2025-01-17T18:16:17Z