Bauxite

Subject – Geography

Context – Won’t allow bauxite mining on Mali Hill: Agitators ransack meeting in Koraput village

Concept –

Adivasis shouted slogans and ransacked the venue of a public meeting called to discuss a proposed bauxite mining project in Odisha’s Koraput district September 22, 2021.
The Mali and forest area are home to large numbers of Kondha, Paraja and Gadaba tribespeople, who are spread across 44 villages.
Mali hill was the source of 36 perennial streams which fed the waters of the Kolab river. Tribals irrigated their land with the water of the Kolab.

About Bauxite –

Bauxite is an important ore that is used for making aluminium. It is an oxide of aluminium. It is not a specific mineral but a rock consisting mainly of hydrated aluminium oxides.
The deposits of Bauxite are mainly associated with laterites and occur as capping on hills and plateaus, except in coastal areas of Gujarat and Goa.
Production of Aluminium from Bauxite: This industry is divided into 2 segments. The plants for obtaining alumina from bauxite ore, such plants are located near bauxite mines and plants for reduction of Alumina into Aluminium, such plants are located near the cheap source of electricity.
Bauxite is primarily used to produce alumina through the Bayer process.
Like many metals, world demand for aluminium, and therefore bauxite, has grown substantially over the past 10 years in response to economic growth in emerging Asian economies.

Distribution of Bauxite in the world

The world bauxite reserves are estimated at 28 billion tonnes and are located mainly in Guinea (26%), Australia (22%), Brazil (9%), Vietnam (8%), Jamaica (7%), Indonesia (4%), Guyana & China (3% each).
Australia continues to be the major producer of Bauxite and accounts for about 30% share in total world production, followed by China (25%), Brazil (14%), India (8%) and Guinea (7%).

Deposits of Bauxite in India

There are abundant bauxite reserves in the country. However since they are located in heavily forested areas, inhabited by indigenous people; mining has been unable to start in these regions.
By States, Odisha alone accounts for 53% of country’s resources of bauxite. The ranking of states in terms of bauxite resources is as following
- Odisha (53%)
- Andhra Pradesh (16%)
- Gujarat (8%)
- Jharkhand (5%)
- Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh (4% each).