Korba area

Topography

The study area is situated in the lower Hasdeo Valley in Korba district, Chattisgarh. The area has a proven coal reserve of 2000 million tonnes. The Korba coalfield , constituting the south-central part of the vast stretch of Gondwana sediments of Son-Mahanadi Valley, is located between the North latitudes 22° 15’ and 22° 30’ and East longitudes 82° 15’ and 82° 55’. It has a total area of about 500 sq. km. The south-flowing Hasdeo River divides the coalfield into two parts, the western part being larger than the eastern part. Korba district is divided into three tehsils, namely Pali, Kathgora, and Korba. The population density in these tehsils is 200–350/sq. km. Literacy level in these tehsils is reported to be 35%–45%. The main workers form 35%–45% of the total population, and the share of mine workers among the main workers is 5%–15%. All the opencast projects are located in Kathgora tehsil. The topography is undulating with elevation ranging from 90 to 332 m above mean sea level. The general slope is towards east. The Ahiran and Hasdeo are the main rivers that control the drainage of this area.

Climate

The climate of the area is dry to moist tropical with defined summer from April to June, rainy season from July to September, and winter from November to February. The temperature rises to a maximum of about 48° C in May and drops to a minimum of about 7° C in December. The average rainfall is 1265 mm. The wind direction is generally westerly to south-westerly, with wind velocity ranging from 0.57 to 9.30 kmph. The relative humidity ranges from 70% to 94% during monsoon and 17% to 78% during summer.

Industrial profile of the Korba area