Water and mineral resources in tamil nadu - class-IX

India now ranks as a “wind superpower” in the world. The largest wind farm cluster is located in Tamil Nadu from Nagercoil to Madurai. Apart from these, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra and Lakshadweep have important wind farms. Nagarcoil and Jaisalmer are well known for effective use of wind energy in the country.

The idukki Hydroelectric project does not belongs to Tamil Nadu. The Idukki Hydroelectric Project is the biggest hydroelectric Project in Kerala. It comprises of three dams at Idukki, Cheruthony and Kulamavu and related systems. The Idukki Dam is a dam constructed across the Periyar River in Kerala.

The region between Nagercoil and Madurai in Tamil Nadu is famous for its high wind potential, leading to the establishment of numerous wind farms. This area is a significant hub for wind energy production in India.

Neyveli is a well-known industrial town located in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, primarily recognized for its large lignite mines and thermal power stations.

Erode district in Tamil Nadu is recorded as having the largest forest cover area in the state, according to official state geographical data.

• Jaduguda is a  town in Purbi Singhbhum district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
  
• Jaduguda mine has the distinction of being the first uranium mine of the country.
  
• Jaduguda uranium mine, the deepest operating underground mine of the country, is in uninterrupted operation since 1968.
  
•  It has depth of nearly 3000 feet, one of the deepest in the country.

Villupuram district is statistically identified as having the largest area of barren or uncultivable land in Tamil Nadu.

Many districts in Tamil Nadu, including Salem, Madurai, and Kanyakumari, face varying degrees of drought-prone conditions due to rainfall patterns and water resource management.

It is the largest power company in India with an electric power generating capacity of 58,156 MW . Although the company has approx. 16% of the total national capacity it contributes to over 25% of total power generation due to its focus on operating its power plants at higher efficiency levels (approx. 80.2% against the national  rate of 64.5%).NTPC currently produces 25 billion units of electricity per month.

The Nilgiri hills have a number of medicinal plants and a variety of flowers. Eucalyptus grow abundantly in the Nilgiris and is majorly used for curing cold. It is popularly known in India as Nilgiri taila. India has proved that Eucalyptus oil works as an effective expectorant and relaxes phlegm and mucous deposits in the nasal and respiratory passages.

The red soil is found predominantly in Sivagangai, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Madurai, Dindigul, Nagapattinam, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and the Nilgiris districts in Tamil Nadu. The red or brown colour of the soil is attributed to the diffusion of iron content.

The Palani hills and Courtallam are well-known regions in Tamil Nadu for their rich biodiversity and the abundance of medicinal herbs.

Kurinji is a shrub that is found in the shola forests of the Western Ghats in South India. Kurinji flower is an endemic species in South India growing only in Anamalai, Nilgiris and Palani hills in Tamil Nadu. It does not grow in any part of the world. Nilgiri Hills, which literally means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji that blossoms only once in 12 years.

Tamil Nadu has a wealth of flora and fauna in the hilly regions and some of its major wildlife sanctuaries like Mudumalai and Anaimalai are situated on the hills of the Western ghats which is a habitat of elephants, tigers, bisons and a variety of monkey and deer. Of the 3000 and more plant species found in Tamil Nadu, a majority is found in the mixed deciduous forest of this region.

The black clayey alluvium rich soil is known as black cotton soil is found in parts of Coimbatore, Madurai, Dindigul, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli and in patches in the districts of Kancheepuram, Vellore, Salem, Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram, Virudunagar and the Nilgiris.

Tamil Nadu has a wealth of flora and fauna and some of its major wildlife sanctuaries like Mudumalai and Anaimalai are situated on the hills of the Western Ghats which is a habitat of elephants, tigers, bison and a variety of monkey and deer. Of the 3000 and more plant species found in Tamil Nadu, a majority is found in the mixed deciduous forest of this region.

The Nilgiri hills have a number of medicinal plants and a variety of flowers. Cinchona from which quinine is obtained is used for curing malaria. 

In coastal regions some alluvial deposits are formed due to wave action. Coastal and deltaic areas of Tamil Nadu includes Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruchirapalli, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Kanyakumari and Sivaganga districts have alluvial soils.

The forest areas of Tiruvannamalai and Tirunelveli districts of the state are  being regenerated and protected by the State Forest Department. These  forests not only provide for the large economy of the state but also to the local livelihood.

There are 17 major river basins found in Tamil Nadu. These are: Palar, Varaha Nadhi, Ponnaiyar, Vellar, Paravanar, Cauvery, Agniyar, Pambar, Kottakaraiyar, Vaigai, Gundar, Vaippar, Kallar, Thamiraparani, Nambiar, Kodayar, PAP. Most of the rivers which drain Tamil Nadu originate from uplands Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. Among the 17 basins Cauvery river basin is the wider one.

Iron ore, copper, bauxite, chromite and pyrite are the major metallic minerals of Tamil Nadu.Following are the places they are found:

1. Iron ore: Salem, Namakkal and Thiruvannamalai
2. Copper: Salem, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Madurai
3. Bauxite: Salem, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Vellore, Dhamapuri, Madurai and Villupuram
4. Pyrite: Villupuram

• Conventional sources of energy usually include fossil fuels like hydroelectric, thermal power, natural gas and oil.
  
• Non-conventional sources of energy include solar power, wind power, biogas, tidal power, and geothermal power.

Natural forms of minerals are called ores. An ore is a mineral compound that is mined for one of the elements it contains, usually a metal element. 

Based on state geographical records for Tamil Nadu, there are 15 major lakes identified for water management and irrigation purposes.

Lignite is a low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content. The principal lignite reserves are in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu and are used for generation of electricity. These fuels are found at following places:

• Petroleum: Thiruvarur, Narimanam i.e Kaveri Delta Region
  
• Lignite: Neyveli
  

Resources used to generate power for heating, lighting, and industrial processes are classified as energy resources.

Limestone, mica, magnesite, steatite and salt are the non-metallic minerals of Tamil Nadu. Following are the places they are found

1. Limestone: Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tiruchirappalli, Kanchipuram and Salem.
2. Mica: Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore and Ramanathapuram.
3. Magnesite: Salem, Namakkal, Coimbatore and Erode.
4. Steatite: Vellore, Cuddalore, Coimbatore, Salem, Tiruchirappalli.
5. Salt: Chennai, Thoothukudi, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur.

Mettur is an industrial plant located in Salem district in the state of Tamil Nadu and is constructed across the Kaveri River in Tamil Nadu. It was constructed in 1934 and took 9 years to complete. Maximum height and width of the Dam are 214 and 171 feet respectively. 

• Photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector (PVT) are systems that convert solar radiation into thermal and electrical energy.
  
• These systems combine a solar PV cell, which converts sunlight into electricity, with a solar thermal collector, which captures the remaining energy and removes waste heat from the PV module.

As
the demand for energy is increasing and conventional sources of energy such as
coal, petroleum, natural gas, etc. are depleting, non-conventional sources of
energy are more needed. Sun, wind, biomass, tidal energy, geo-thermal energy
and even energy from waste material are examples of non-conventional energy.
Sun is the biggest source of non-conventional energy. As sun is the source of
all energy on the earth, it produces plenty of solar energy. This energy is abundant,
renewable, pollution free and eco-friendly.

• The Mettur Thermal Power Station is a coal-fired electric power station located in Salem district of Tamil Nadu. 

Kalpakkam is mostly famous for its nuclear plants and affiliated research installations. These include the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), one of India's nuclear power plants, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), and Bhabha Atomic Research Center, an affiliate of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

• In a thermal power plant a steam turbine is rotated with help of high pressure and high temperature steam and this rotation is transferred to a generator to produce electricity.
  

Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is the single largest nuclear power station in India, situated in Koodankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.  It is being developed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India

• Thermal generation is the process of generating electricity from heat. Heat is a form of energy. 
  
• Heat energy that is turned into electricity can be made in many ways.
  
• It can be produced by burning fuels such as coal, oil, gas or wood.

National power grid was formed to supply power equitably from surplus states to deficit states.

The Neyveli thermal power plant is a lignite-based power station, utilizing the vast lignite deposits found in the region.

The production cost of wind energy is quite low as compared to the other fossil fuels because it does not require any fuel. But, windmills are very costly to set up. It requires a higher initial investment for machinery, site preparation and installation.

The Neyveli Power Plant generates electricity by burning fuel (lignite) to produce steam, which drives turbines; therefore, it is classified as a thermal project.

According to state energy department statistics, there are 13 bio-fuel plants currently operating within Tamil Nadu.

Geo-thermal power utilizes the heat in the Interior of the earth for the generation of power. Geothermal energy is heat energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. The geothermal energy of the Earth's crust originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials. Technologies in use include dry steam power stations, flash steam power stations and binary cycle power stations.

Dharmapuri, along with Dindigul and Krishnagiri, is recognized for its solar power initiatives in Tamil Nadu.

Biofuels are fuels which are in some way derived from biomass. The term covers solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases and also denotes biodiesel, bioalcohol and biogasoline. More advanced and efficient conversion technologies now allow the extraction of biofuels from materials such as wood, crops and waste material. 

The listed substances (Lignite, Garnet, Zircon, etc.) are all naturally occurring minerals found in Tamil Nadu, making them major mineral resources.

The soils of Tamil Nadu may be grouped into five types. They are:

1. Alluvial Soils:  The soils develop from the weathering material transported by rivers from their catchment areas and deposited in their basins during floods.
2. Black Soils:  The soils are residual soils derived from the rocks of Deccan Trap, Rajmahal Trap, ferruginous gneisses and schists under semi-arid conditions.
3. Red Soil: The soils have developed on crystalline rocks by prolonged weathering in hot climate.
4. Laterite Soils: The soils are residual soils developed on aluminum-rich rocks e.g. greisze, sandstone, granite and basaltic rocks in regions of high rainfall with alternating wet and dry seasons.
5. Forest, peat and organic soils: Forest soils develop in areas under heavy forest cover. Peat and organic soils develop in waterlogged, swampy or marshy areas.

• Source of energy at Ennore power station is Thermal power. The station is located in Tamil Nadu.
  
• Source of energy at Rawatbhata power station is Nuclear power. This power station is located in Rajasthan.
  
• Source of energy at Kopili power station is Hydel power. This station is located in Assam.
  
• Source of energy at Nagercoil power station is wind. This station is located in Tamil Nadu.
  

There are 18 sugar mills in Tamil Nadu that utilize bagasse (a byproduct of sugarcane processing) for energy production.