7.7   Mineral Resources

. Mineral Resources Tamil Nadu is the leading holder of country's resources of vermiculite, magnetite, dunite, rutile, garnet, molybdenum and ilmenite. Neyveli has large lignite resources. Oil and gas are found in the Cauvery basin. Coal deposits are found in Ramanathapuram. Iron ore deposits are found in Kanjamalai region in Salem district and Kavuthi and Vediyappan Malai region of Tiruvannamalai district. Bauxite is found in Servarayan Hills, Kotagiri, Udagamandalam, Palani and Kollimalai areas. Gypsum is obtained in Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar districts. Ilmenite and rutile are found in the sands of Kanniyakumari beach. Limestone is available in Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dindigul, Kancheepuram, Karur, Madurai, Nagapattinam, Namakkal, Perambalur, Ramanathapuram, Salem and Tiruvallur districts. Magnesite is Mullaiperiyar Dam Mullaiperiyar dam was built by the British administration in . It has been constructed on the Periyar River, which originates from Thekkady hills of Kerala. The dam was built mainly for watering the farming land of Tamil Nadu, which is perennially drought- prone. Vaigai Dam This dam built across the River Vaigai near Andipatti. The dam with a height of feet can store water up to feet. It is located km from Andipatti and km from Madurai. This dam was opened on January, . Manimuthar Dam Manimuthar dam is located about km from Tirunelveli. The Papanasam Dam It is also known as Karaiyar dam and is located about km away from Tirunelveli. The dam is used to irrigate Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts. Parampikulam Aliyar Project It is a joint venture of Tamil Nadu and Kerala states. It envisages the construction of seven interconnected reservoirs by harnessing the water of seven rivers, which include major rivers of Parambikulam and Aliyar. Parappalar project is located near Ottanchatram. Its storage capacity is million cubic feet of water. It is about km from Madurai and is in Palani taluk. Water Resource Management Water resource management is the activity of planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources. The demand for water in Tamil Nadu is increasing at a fast rate both due to increasing population and also due to larger per capita needs triggered by economic growth. Demands from other sectors such as domestic and industries have been growing significantly. The state is heavily dependent on monsoon rains.  Human Geography of Tamil Nadu obtained in Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Karur, Namakkal, the Nilgiris, Salem, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Tirupattur and Vellore districts. Feldspar, quartz, copper and lead are also found in some parts of the state.