Dhaubadi iron mine plans extraction of 96 million tonnes of ore – The Himalayan Times – Nepal’s No.1 English Daily Newspaper

KATHMANDU, AUGUST 20

Dhaubadi Iron Company Ltd has prepared a plan to extract iron ore from the iron mine in Dhaubadi of Hupsekot Rural Municipality-5, Nawalparasi.

The company has submitted a report to the Department of Mines and Geology proposing the extraction of around 96 million tonnes of iron ore from the mine, which covers approximately 41 square kilometres.

The mining area has been divided into two blocks-Dhaubadi Pokhari and Durlung. The Dhaubadi Pokhari block covers 25 square kilometres, while the Durlung block spans 16 square kilometres.

The company said it would carry out further exploration and extraction activities after the plan is approved.

Dhaubadi Iron Company was established with the objective of producing iron commercially in Nepal.

Company Director Shailesh Kumar Thapa said drilling work totalling 1,500 metres had been completed at 12 locations to collect underground iron samples for testing.

The company said an environmental impact assessment is currently under way and work on the detailed project report (DPR) will begin soon.

Once the mine comes into operation, iron products produced from it are expected to replace around 25 percent of Nepal’s total imports of iron products, Thapa said. He added that the project would create a large number of jobs and contribute to the national economy.

The company said infrastructure development and road upgrading works required to access the mine are also under way.

(With input from RSS