Treasures of the Deep - Mineral Deposits
of Pakistan
Pakistan is endowed with extensive geological potential. The country possesses extensive
reserves of mineral deposits such as coal copper, gold, limestone etc. However, unlike other
developing countries with good mineral endowment, we have not yet been able to promote
growth and alleviate poverty by exploiting our natural resources to the maximum extent possible.
The development of our mineral resources has been limited to numerous quarries producing
industrial minerals of limestone, rock salt, marble, gypsum and a modest amount of coal for
internal power generation. Our mineral resources are enormous and emerging as a promising
country for exploration of mineral deposits. Based on
available information, country's more than 6, 00, 000
sqkms of outcrop area demonstrates varied geological
potential for metallic / non-metallic mineral deposits.
Exploration by government agencies as well as by
multinational mining companies and various regional
geological surveys, conducted in the recent past have
confirmed the great potential of Pakistan in the metallic
minerals like copper, gold, silver, platinum, chromites,
iron, lead and zinc. Regarding industrial minerals, there
is a vast potential of multi- colored granite, marble and
other dimensional stones of high quality for export
purposes.
Currently about 52 minerals are under exploitation but on a small scale. The major production is
of coal, rock salt, and other industrial and construction minerals. At this time, the value addition
in the mineral sector is mainly concentrated in five principal minerals, namely, limestone, coal,
gypsum, sulphur, crude oil, and natural gas.
The current contribution of mineral sector to the GDP is about 0.5% and likely to increase
considerably on the development and commercial exploitation of Reco Diq copper deposits,
Duddar Zinc lead, Thar coal and
Gemstone deposits.
The country's mining industry is
dominated by the public sector through
Federal and Provincial development
corporations. The public mining
corporations are: Punjmin involved in
the mining of 8 minerals (with a mine
output of less than 300,000 tones for
each of seven mines and 1,215,634
tones for building material), Pakistan
Mineral Development Corporation in 11
minerals, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas Development Corporation in 10 minerals (with
an annual high single mine output of 319,000 tones for limestone), Balochistan Development
Authority in fluorite, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Development Authority in 4 minerals and Azad
Kashmir Mineral and Industrial Development Corporation in 12 minerals With 4,873 and
Pakistan Steel in mining limestone (204,921 tones).
Foreign investors are mainly from China due to their historic political ties with Pakistan.
Consequently there has been little or no modern exploration, and what development has occurred
has been restricted to simple technologies, without the benefit of the private sector and foreign
investors with modern management, capital and technical knowhow.
Consequently mineral exploitation contributes only 0.5% of GDP. Realizing the vast potential of
major reserves, there is great opportunity for the multinational companies to invest in this sector,
which will be beneficial for
the economy and the investors in the long run.
Top Fifteen Minerals of Pakistan
1. Aluminium
2. Iron Ore
3. Copper
4. Chromite Ore
5. Zinc / Lead
6. Coal
7. Gypsum / Anhydrite 8. Phosphates
9. Rock Salt
10. Solar Salt
11. Magnesite
12. Limestone for lime
13. Kaolin (China Clay)
14. Natural Stones as Building Materials I). Granite ii). Marble and Onyx
15. Gemstones
Mineral Resources in Punjab
Iron ore:
Iron ores is present in large deposits in punjab. The major deposits are in Kalabagh Mianwali
district.
Coal:
In Punjab coal is present in Salt Range and Markawal.The estimated deposits of coal in this
region are 235 million tons. The quality is average in comparison with other provinces.
Gypsum:
Punjab stands 2nd in gypsum deposits.The major deposits of Gypsum are in Dadukhel in
Mianwali area which is about 53 million tons. Other resources are in Rakhi-Munh, Khewra and
Safed koh-Rodo area. Gypsum is also found in Suleman Range of D.G. Khan, Punjab.
Salt:
Salt deposits are mainly found in the salt Range (160 kms in length, east and west trending
mountainous arc between Rivers Jhelum and Indus). Rock salt is mined at Khewra, Warcha,
Kalabagh, Bhadurkhel, Jatta and karak salt Mines by Pakistan Mineral Development
Corporation.
Punjab Mineral Development Corporation operates Chakwal and Khushab salt mines. According
to Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, the rock salt reserves within the area of their
mining operation are around 600 million tons.
Lime stone:
Lime Stone is present in salt Range Potwar Plateau, Margalla Hills and Zinda Pir (Attock) in
large deposits.
Aluminum:
In Punjab Aluminium is found in Khushab district. It is graded as low quality Aluminium.
Calestine:
It contains about 83% Strontium Sulphate. Celestite is used in signal rockets and flares, tracer
bullets, transportation warning fused and fire-works. It also used in Strontium compound
Ceramics, luminous paints, plastics industries. In Punjab It is found in Daud Khel in the Western
Salt Range.
Natural oil:
All large and renowned oil fields are loccated in potwar region. In following table a brief
description of Oil fields is given.
Natural gas:
The only major gas resource is located in Uch near
Multan. Another gas field is Adhi gas field located in
Rawalpindi district, supplies 18Mcf/day of gas ,62
tons/day of LPG,300 Barrels/day of Natural gas
liquid(NGL).
Marble:
It is one of the country foreign exchange earning. In
Punjab its reserves are in Dalbandin Hills in Attock
District
MINERAL DEPOSITS OF SINDH
Coal:
According to estimates prepared by the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP), Pakistan has total
coal reserves of 185 billion tons, out of which 184 Million Tons Billion tons are in Sindh, one of
the biggest good quality lignite deposit in the World.
Salt:
Bright prospects exist for the development of high purity solar salt facility around the coastal
areas of Karachi. Solar salt so produced has export potential to the growing southeast Asian
Chemical industries and for the growing industries established throughout the country.
Limestone:
Pakistan is bestowed with extensive deposits of suitable quality limestone in Sindh. In sindh it is
found in Ganjo Takkar, Murli Hills, Mango Pir, Cape Monze, Kot Diji and Ranipir. It is used
mainly in the manufacture of cement. Road making, building construction and in the chemicals
industries.
Alum:
In Sindh Alum is found in
Kirthar Nits.
Present in large quantity in
Carbonate Soda:
Nara Taluka of Khaipur
State, in Nawabshah,
Umerkot and Shah Bandar.
Calestine:
The estimated reserves are
300,000 tons. Celestite is
used in signal rockets and
flares, tracer bullets,
transportation warning fused and fire-works. It is also used in Strontium compound Ceramics,
luminous paints, plastics industries. In Sindh, Calestine deposits are found in Thano BulaKhan.
China Clay:
In Sind it is found in Nagar Parkar, in Tharparkar District. Is used in cement, paper, rubber filter.
It contains 16-31% Clay. It is also known as Kaolin.
Natural Oil:
There are three renowned oil fields in Sindh which are briefly described in tabular form below.
Natural Gas:
In Sindh Natural Gas is found in Khairpur, Kandkot , Mari, Golarchi and Khaskheli.
MINERAL DEPOSITS OF KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA
Chromite:
Chromite deposits of Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must be considered from a regional
standpoint that could enable Pakistan to become a major exporter of chromite and /or
ferrochrome. In NWFP its deposits are
1) In Dargai there are an estimated reserves 0.7 Mt of which 0.3 Mts are proven.
2) In Heroshah, open pit reserves of around 0.1 Mt have been proved.
3) Similarly in Jijal-pattan and Chilas areas (Kohistan) Shunghail prospect appear to contain 0.2
Mt reserves.
Coal:
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa there is no large deposit of coal. Two small ones are present which are
briefly described in tabular form.
This coal is graded as good quality coal found in Pakistan.
Bauxite:
In the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Bauxite is found in
Hazara District.
Gypsum:
The largest resources of gypsum found in Pakistan are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The reserves are
mainly found in D.I.Khan & Kohat district
.
Phosphates:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa contains Cambrian sedimentary phosphates of marine origin, mainly in
the upper clayey dolomite of abbottoabad Formation (cherty phosphate) 0-0 and underlying
cherty – silty – sandy beds of Hazara formation.
Reserves and Grades:
Grades of two major ore types and their reserves are as
under:


Dolomitic ore (generally low to medium in P2 O5
& SiO2 and high in MgO).
Siliceous ore (generally medium to high in P2O5
and SiO2 and low in MgO.
Types of Phosphate rocks And Their Reserves:
Magnesite :
PIDC used to hold the lease for magnesite mines at Kumhar in Abbottabad established around 11
million tons geological & 3 million tons mineable reserves containing acce- ptable 46% - 47%
magnesium oxide.
Limestone:
Pakistan is bestowed with extensive deposits of suitable quality of limestone in the province of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Northern Areas.
The average annual production of limestone is 8697 Metric tons used mainly in the manufacture
of cement. Road making, building construction and in the chemicals industries.
China Clay:
Presently the major production comes from shah Dheri, Swat where an elutriation plant has been
established. Country's average yearly production of china clay is 61,403 metric tons.
Marbles:
Marbles of different classifications, fossiliferrous limestone, serpentine etc occur in the
provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Northern Areas. Out
of 160.2 million tons of marble reserves estimated in
Pakistan,158 million tons are in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa .
Gem Stones:
Pakistan ranks amongst leading gem-hosting countries. Owing
to favorable geological environments, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
AJ&K and Northern Areas are the major gem hosting regions
of the country. The gemstones include; Emerald, Ruby, Pink Topaz, Peridot, Green Ruby
deposits of Hunza and AJ&K all other gemstone deposits have not been studied scientifically and
are undocumented.
Soap Stone:
Soapstone is used in Ceramics, face powder and as filler in
soap industry. In NWFP, its deposits are in Sherwan in
Abbotabad district.
MINERAL RESOURCES IN BALOCHISTAN
At present Pakistan is producing 50 minerals; of
these about 40 are being exploited in Baluchistan. Almost all the minerals now being mined in
the province have been explored / discovered by the Geological Survey of Pakistan.
Aluminum:
Aluminum is present in Baluchistan in large deposits. Major areas are Kalat, Ziarat and Loralai
districts. The mine at Khakhan-China spring in Loralai district produces 2000 tons annually.
Iron Ore:
More than 903.4 million tons of iron ores are found in Pakistan and potential ore deposits in
Baluchistan are the following:
Copper:
The significance of copper resources of Pakistan is widely known because of huge investment
made in development of Saindak copper deposit.Copper reserves are present in Saindak and
Reko-diq in Baluchistan.
Chromite Ore:
Chromite occurrence is wide- spread yet its potential is far from being fully assessed judging
from the favorable geological environment. For this reason, chromite deposits of Baluchistan and
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must be considered from a regional standpoint that could enable Pakistan
to become a major exporter of chromite and /or ferrochrome.
In Baluchistan, Muslim Bagh, Noshki, Ras-koh, Dilbadin, Miran shahWana,Khuzdar, Bela,
chromite deposits are of the major commercial source of chromite.
Zinc:
The Jurassic rocks of the Lasbela – Khuzdar Belt have the potential to host several World class'
zinc – lead ore deposits. Zinc deposits are also found in Duddar Gunga which are estimated over
160 million tons.
Coal:
In Baluchistan about 217 million tons of coal are estimated. Thèse Resources are distributed in
Hamai, ,Duki ,Mach-Abegum Pir Ismail Ziarat Bar khan – Chamalang.
Natural Gas:
Total Natural gas reserves in Pakistan are estimated at about 31 trillion cubic feet. In the
Province of Baluchistan, thereserves are in Pirkok, Sui,Mazarani,Golarchi.Sui gas field is the
largest field of Pakistan, which covers over 75 sq. miles.
Manganese:
In Baluchistan Manganese is found in Lasbela and Khuzdar. Total estimated resources in these
two regions are 0.477 million tons.
Limestone for Lime:
Pakistan is bestowed with extensive deposits of suitable quality of limestone in the province of
Balochistan. The average annual production of limestone is 8697 Metric tons, used mainly in the
manufacturing of cement, Road making, building construction and in the chemicals industries. It
is graded as high quality limestone found in Pakistan.
Magnesite:
In Baluchistan it is found in Muslim bagh and Bela.
Gypsum:
According to geological servey of Pakistan, about 2000 million ton gypsum resources are present
in different areas of Baluchistan.
Marble:
Large deposits of marble are present in Baluchistan,About 2 million ton high quality Marble is
present in Chagai district.
Gems:
Early discoveries of most of Gem materials in Balochistan by GSP in connection with
investigations for other mineral commodities, during the course of geological mapping
In Chagai: Malachite, Azurite, Garnet, Brown Garnet, Zircon, Obsidian, Jade, Jasper,
Lapis
In Panjgur: Auriferous Quartz
In Kalat: Brown Garnet, Fluorite
In KillaAbdullah: Aragonite
In Khuzdar: Agates
In Loralai Amethyst.
The detailed overview only helps to ascertains that the mineral deposits of Pakistan are huge but
there seems a definite lack of will which is hindering the development of minerals. Taking a 360
degree view, a few things are obvious. Firstly, there is a visible lack of technology available for
the miners. Most mine owners are medium to small who are unable to afford expensive
machines.
As mining is a capital as well as technology intensive industry, huge capital backed with latest
technology is imperative. The government must support the mining industry through reduced
duty on import of machinery and project funding and sharing otherwise there is little hope for the
industry. To decipher the issues, let us read further.
The mining carried in the country is still based upon the century old techniques where miners dig
the coal from underneath thousands of feet (going as deep as 8000 ft.) and carry in sacks of
almost 100 kgs on their backs way up or in some instances to a station in between from where
the haulage trolley carry it to the surface. The seams of the mines also vary from one to another
as in Mach it may be as small as less as a foot and as large as 9 feet in Duki.
Another important issue faced by the miners is the lack of security of tenure. At this time the
government can take away the lease any time citing reasons low extraction, slow work progress
etc. This reason alone is enough to deter investment in the field. The mineral development Act of
1948 is still in place which also needs to be addressed.
Mineral department is not only weak in coordination but sometimes works in a non transparent
manner, ignoring the mandatory requirement for grant of licenses and leases under political
influence. This is very true in case of the Employees Old Age Benefit Institute (EOBI), which is
directly related to mine workers welfare. It is mandatory for the contractors (mentioned in the
lease granting application), to register their workers with EOBI, and if they do not do so, then
their license would be immediately canceled. Employees Old Age Benefits Act 1976-amended
says that any mine having minimum five workers must follow the rule. However, majority of the
lessee have not registered their workers with the relevant department for the provision of
pension, neither the regional office of Mines Department has taken initiative to ensure the
implementation of such rules. The contractors also accuse that some officials of regional
directorate bypass the rules and regulations and ignore the merit due to their vested interested.
Mining has a high presence in the poor areas of Pakistan providing employment and effecting
income generation in less developed areas so a complete overhauling is imperative to reduce
poverty and bring revenue.
Another very important issue related with the mining industry is the effect on the environment.
Mining and quarrying sector is subjugated by the commercial entities. The activities related to
quarrying and mining adversely affect the environment either directly through devastating the
ecology and natural resources or indirectly by disquieting the health and livelihood of workers
and the communities. In view of the poverty-environment nexus, poor people become more
vulnerable due to reduced access to their already available limited natural resources as well as
adverse effects of environment on their health and ineffective services provisions.
Environmental impact of mining and quarrying activities can never be determined merely by the
damage it causes to the ecology. It is pertinent to examine the quarrying and mining from at least
three dimensions:
a. Environmental release (process);
b. Environmental effects; and,
c. Environmental impact (or damage).
The environmental release is the transfer of material or energy to the external environment or
outside the process boundary, i.e. by means of (i) solid/mine waste (ii) gaseous emissions (iii)
drainage, and, (iv) dust from an open pit.
In order to improve the situation, the issue of lack of transparency must be addressed. Similarly,
all the provisional mining departments much be centralized as well. To further understand the
issue, the following issues are imperative to be understood.
Understaffing of Regional Directorates:
Regional directorate of minerals and mines is heavily understaffed. There is only one mine
inspector to visit for a whole district and only one Assistant Director of License to look after the
licenses issues in the whole region. Hence the officials are neither able to visit the mine sites nor
are they able to impart important trainings on health and safety issues to the mineworkers.
Lack of technical know-how and proper data:
Data inconsistency is common in the data provided by the Provincial Offices and District Offices
on licenses, leases, budget, revenues, etc. Although the regional offices have recently got modern
facilities like computers, they are under staffed and do not have skilled data entry operators to
make use of those computers.regional offices is not very reliable and does not help towards wellinformed policy initiatives.
Lack of interest of the foreign investors:
Although the FDI inflow in mining and quarrying sector in Pakistan has increased yet
deteriorating law and order situation and security issues are proving to be major barriers against
the inflow of FDI to specially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. There is lack of interest
of the foreign investors in quarrying and mining sector due to unstable policies as well.
Lack of interest of the stakeholders in environmental issues:
Ironically, none of the stakeholders seem interested in the environmental issues. The
coordination unit has conducted many meetings in this respect. Dust control and controlled
blasting regulations are rarely followed and it is mandatory for all the crushers to install the dust
controllers in their crushing plants. The licenses of those not following these rules can be
cancelled. However, the relevant departments despite many complaints do not take any action
against violators.
Awareness rising on environmental issues is one of the prerequisite for dealing the abovementioned issues. Environmental awareness raising requirement can be achieved by means of
training and information sharing through effective management to all stakeholders at all levels,
i.e. from the grassroots including local communities to policy makers and law enforcing
authorities.
To improve the situation, awareness on the effects of quarrying and mining on ecology, culture,
health and livelihood must be spread. Local initiative pertaining to pro-poor development, i.e.
provision of safe drinking water at the door step, agro-forestry, forestation, etc., with the
collaboration of CBOs, NGOs and local government could give sustainable solutions to most of
the problems related to quarrying and mining by utilizing their traditional knowledge.
There is a need to raise awareness of the local communities on cost and benefit analysis of the
damages caused due to quarrying and mining activities. Furthermore, the community should be
capacitated to realize the monetary and non-monetary benefits/compensation of participatory
rehabilitation, environmental protection and improvement.
Specialized training sessions of the workers/labors should be imparted by the Directorate of
Mines and Minerals and awareness raising sessions by the CBOs and NGOs on Health hazards
due to emissions from mining and quarrying and preventive measures Technical training.
Contractors/Lease Holders/ and Miners must be provided technical training on waste
management and drainage from the mines and its solid waste. Adoption of new methods and
techniques at the mining sites to reduce environmental damage either through control of
emission or drainage or water depletion must be encouraged.
Proper regulations and monitoring of the mining sites should be the priority of the government.
Mines Department should ensure the EIA of each mining site. Monitoring of environmental
damages must be done in collaboration with foresters, service Providers, environmentalists and
mine owners. Training on coordination mechanism (in terms of responsibilities) focusing on
linkages between Environment, Quarrying, Mining and Livelihood and between the end users of
the resources and other stakeholders, mining companies/miners and research and development
has to be generated.
Lack of foreign investors in this sector is a worrying sign. Strong coordination among policy
makers and implementing agencies is desired to overcome the gap. Government should give
incentives advance machinery, loans, etc to local miner to induce interest. Most importantly,
there must be proper law for the surface rent ( Malikana) with the involvement of minerals
department. Without safety of the tenure, local investors will continuously to shy away from
investing.