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ASSAM AND ITS NATURAL

RESOURCES

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ASSAM – AN INTRODUTION . . . .

The largest of the north-eastern states of India, Assam is the Gateway to the
northeast of India. Assam, the land of unexplored opportunities welcomes you to
its land of plenty.

Assam is rich in natural resources, minerals, forests and water and has vast
tracts of fertile land. It is primarily an agrarian economy, with 74% of it's
population engaged in agriculture and allied activities. Cereals like paddy, wheat
and plantation crops like tea are grown extensively. Amongst mineral resources,
oil takes the top place. Oil was first struck more than one hundred years ago and
the oil well of Digboi and other areas is a major source of fuel for not only the
North-East but for the country as a whole.

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Agriculture

An agrarian economy since time immemorial, about 77% of Assam's workforce is

engaged agriculture and allied activities contributing roughly 40% to the state's
GDP. Roughly 40% of the total area is cultivated.

Exotics
Assam Lemon: A unique product of Assam with a high percentage of vitamins.

Hatkora: An exclusive export item belonging to the citrus family

Orchids: Of the 925 varieties available in India, over 600 can be grown in Assam.

Aromatic Rice (Joha Rice): Quality comparable with any popular aromatic rice in
the world.

Bhut Jalakia (Capsicum Chinensis Jacq.): Hottest chilli on earth

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Forest resources

The state of Assam has a rich forest cover encompassing nearly a quarter of its
land area. Roughly half of the forests are reserved. Blessed with plentiful rainfall,
the forests are a reserve of such commercially useful produce like timber,
bamboo, stone, cane, etc. Bamboo is the best natural engineering material on
this planet. Government of Assam’s objective is to promote bamboo as a
substitute for wood, to make it the timber of the 21st century.

Mineral Resources

Assam is endowed with vast mineral resources. The major minerals like coal, oil
and gas, limestone, dolomite, sillimanite and corundum, iron ore, felspar, glass-
sand, refractory and fire clays, kaolin, beryl, gypsum, pyrite, vermiculite, salt,
copper, gold etc. have been reported to occur in the state.The coal found in
Assam has a high sulphur content and high volatile matter content, thereby
reducing its cokeability.

Limestone with reserves of about 500 million tonnes is another important

resource and is available in various grades. The China clay available in the Karbi-
Anglong district is a vital input for the ceramics industry and has already
spawned a few small plants. Deposits of decorative stone like granite estimated
to be more than a billion cubic meters are available in various shades and
colours, which have a huge market potential locally and abroad.

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Tourism

To nature lovers all over the world, wildlife enthusiasts, sightseers, ornithologists
and photographers, Assam is a dream destination.

Its natural landscape, lush green forests, wild life sanctuaries, pilgrimage spots
and tea gardens offer a wide choice to cater to the tastes of a variety of tourists
from the casual sightseer to the adventure tourist.

There are plenty of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, viz., Kaziranga, Dibru,
Chakrashila, Sonai Rupai, Pobitora, etc.

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Climate

The climate of Assam is characterised by its extreme humidity. Its most

distinguishing feature is the copious rainfall between March and May at a time
when precipitation in upper India is at its minimum. Climatically the year may be
divided into the cold season and the rainy. The cold weather lasts from October
to February and the rest of the year is rainy. The southwest monsoon begin from
middle of June. The neighbourhood of Cherapunji and Mawsynram are known to
receive the highest rainfall in the world. It is concentrated in four months, June to
September.

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Soil and Drainage

Assam's soil been classified into the following three types - red loam soil, lateritic
soil and alluvial soil. The entire Mizo hills, part of Cachar, Garo, Khasi-Jaintia hills
and Sibsagar are capped by red loam soil. A small part of Cachar, large areas of
Khasi and Jaintia hills, part of Sibsagar and Nowgong are covered by lateritic soil.
The entire Lakhimpur, Darrang, Kamrup, Goalpara, part of Garo hills and
Sibsagar are made up of alluvial soil cover.

All the rivers in Assam are liable to floods, mainly because they receive heavy
rainfall within a short time. These rivers are in their early stage of maturity and
are very active agents of erosion. The river waters collect a tremendous amount
of silt and other debris and raise the level of the river beds. Therefore, it
becomes impossible for the main channel to cope with the vast volume of water
received during the rains.

The major rivers of Assam are:

• Barak River
• Bhoroli (Jia Bhoroli and Mora Bhoroli)
• Bhorolu
• Brahmaputra River
• Dhansiri River
• Dihing River
• Gabhoru
• Manas River
• Mora Dhansiri River