TALOQAN (Pajhwok): The northwestern Takhar province has an estimated 46 different mines containing natural reserves and resources which will considerably bolster national economy if they are extracted in a professional and legal ways.
As many as 1, 500 employees are working on different mines elsewhere in the province.
Geological surveys and researches have taken place many times in the province but practical work on exploiting the resources would yet take place.
The natural mines are located in Chah-e-Aab, Kalifgan, NamakAab, Chal, Bang and Worsajdistricts. Among them, salt mine in TaqchaKhanaarea ofNamakAab district, gold in ChahAab andcoal inBazhghar area ofChaldistrict and Gazistan area of Kalifgan district are identified to be in abundant.
Salt mines are located in Lata Band, Qorghsai and ArchaKotalareas ofKalifgan district. Also, salt mines in Taqchakhanaarea of NamakAab district, gold mine in Norabah and Samtiareas of ChahAab district, and coal mine in Gaziztan area of Kalifgandistrict have been contracted which are being extracted.
In the past, TaqchaKhana salt mine was extracted in a nonprofessional and nontechnical way. However, after 2005, the mine contract has been awarded to a local company and the extraction is going through a legal way.
Takhar mine department said contract with previous domestic company was terminated due to its little extraction capacity two months ago. It said that the contract had been awarded to another local company which increased its production capacity.
The company has400 strong workforces who are working extracting 100 to150tonsof saltdaily.
Thecompany'sproductionequipmenthas been importedfromthe United ArabEmirates(UAE) andthesaltisminedand produced technically.
It is estimated that the income of TaqchaKhana and Kalifgan salt mines and construction materials was about 9million afghanis this year.
Takhar public health department said they had persuaded the private sector to establish a factoryproducingiodizedsalt four years ago which had now been established three years ago.
The public health department provided the factory with iodine free of cost and the factory produce iodized salt for the people, which is good for health.
In addition, there are other mines in Takhar as well,including Kalifghan salt mine and gold mine of ChahAab district beside the Kokcha River. Takhar
1.      Gold mine in ChahAab district:
The mine is located 10 kmnorth of ChahAab district and discovered in 1987 by Soviet Union estimating 260 tons gold.
The mine was contracted with an American company in 2007. Now it is being extracted and three Russian engineers including more than 100 Afghan workers have been working on the mine.
2.      TaqchaKhanasalt mine:
The mine is located in NamakAab district and it was discovered two thousand years before Silk Roadhad been constructed. But in 1970, it was discovered twice and its extraction is underway.
3.      Silver mine:
The mine is located in Rustaqdistrict but its amount could not be estimated.
4.      EmeraldandAbrak stone:
 
The two mines are located in Eshkamish district and the extraction process could not be started yet.
5.      Petroleum mine:
Petroleum has been identified in Baharak district but a proper survey yet to be done.
Big oil well likely to be discovered inMavaray-e-Kokcha district, which is located on the border with Tajikistan.
Other mines in Takahar:
As Takhar is considered among the secondgrade provinces of Afghanistan and is rich in natural resourcessuch aspetroleum, salt, coal, gold, sulfur, Iron andothers. Most of the underground resources could not be discovered or exploited yet.
As many as 1, 500 workers are estimated working invarious companies working in the province with getting salaries ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 Afghanis.
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