CHAPTER-III

SALEM DISTRICT PROFILE

Location

Salem District is one of the land locked Districts in Tamilnadu. It is bounded

on the North by Dharmapuri district, on the South by Namakkal district, on
the West by Erode district and, on the East by Villupuram district. The
elevation of landscape generally ranges from 500 ft to 1200 ft. above MSL
with the exception of Yercaud which is at 5000 ft. above MSL.
Administrative Set up

The Geographical area of the district is 520530 Ha . The district has 4

Revenue divisions, one corporation and 3 municipalities. There are 20
Panchayat unions in the district as detailed below:. The details of
Administrative Units in Salem District as on 1996-97 is given in Table.
Taluks Blocks
Salem 01. Salem
02. Veerapandi
03. Panamarathupatti
04. Ayodhiapatnam
Valappadi 05. Valappadi and part of Ayodhyapatnam block
Attur 06. Attur
07. Peddanaickenpalayam and
one firka of Talaivasal
block
Gangavalli 08. Talaivasal
09. Gangavalli
Sankari 10. Sankari 11. Magudancha
Idappadi 12. Idappadi 13. Konganapuram
Mettur 14. Kolathur
15. Mecheri
16. Nangavalli
Omalur 17. Omalur
18. Taramangalam

29
 19. Kadayampatti
Yercaud 20.Yercaud (town panchayat)

Soil
Major soils of the district are clay, black loam, black sand, and red
ferruginous and red sand. The black loam is considered most fertile. The red
soil is equal to loam in Productivity in and around Attur. Black soil is due to
alluvial deposits with red subsoil.

Status of Soil and Water conservation programmes

As on 96-97, 103 percolation ponds and 70 check dams have been

constructed in the district benefiting about 3000 Ha. of land. The
implementation of soil and water conservation programmes is significant in
terms of water harvesting and arresting of soil erosion.

Trend in consumption of Fertilizers and Pesticides

The consumption of chemical fertilizers and bio-fertilizers are put at 4712

tons and 50168 tons., respectively. The analysis of the trend in consumption
of fertilizers and pesticides indicate that consumption of both chemical
fertilizers and bio-fertilizers are increasing. From 34716 tons in 1980-81, the
chemical fertilizer consumption has more than doubled in 1995- 96 to 84712
tons. The consumption of bio-fertilizers also increases steadily.

RESOURCES, AVAILABILITY, USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL

STATUS

30
LandResources

Agricultural Resources

Out of the total geographical area of 520530 Ha, the net-cropped area
accounts for 53.39%. In places where irrigation sources are good, paddy,
sugarcane, and turmeric are cultivated. Cash crops such as cotton,
groundnut, tapioca, gingelly, tomato are also find significant place in the
cultivation. The land utilisation details are given intable.

31
Trend in Production & Productivity of important crops

The total area under cultivation of cereal is placed at 1,10,708 Ha in 95-96.

The area under cultivation is fluctuating year to year depending on the
rainfall. The average productivity of cereals per Ha. works out to 2.11 Ton
in 1995-96. The analysis of productivity of Cereals during 1986-89 to 1995-
96 indicate that it is highly fluctuating. While the highest productivity is
4.80 ton/Ha during 1989- 90, the lowest was 1.12 ton/Ha during 87-88. The
area under cultivation of pulses and oil seeds is put at 48478 Ha and 86935
Ha respectively. The productivity of pulses and oil seeds is also fluctuating
year to year. The fluctuation is attributed to the vagaries nature ofrainfall.
Horticulture

The district finds significant place in the cultivation of Horticulture and

plantation crops. The agro climatic conditions are well suited for the
horticulture and plantation crops. The total area under Horticulture and
plantation crops is put at 32600 Ha. Mango, banana, coconut, tomato,
brinjal, are the import crops cultivated in the district.
Forest Resources

The area under forest cover is put at 46284.98 Ha, of which 95% is reserve
forest category, 4.50% is reserve lands and 0.5% is unclassified forests. The
area under encroachment is put at 3057 Ha, which works out to 7% of total
forest area. The per capita forest cover is coming down which indicate the
decline of forestcover.

Mineral Resources

32
Salem district finds very important place in the mineral map of Tamilnadu.
Bauxite, Dunite, magnetite, quartz, limestone, soapstone, granite are
important minerals available in the district. Mining of minerals causes
considerable air pollution. Besides, dumping of „rejects‟ and other waste
materials also pose environmental problems. The details of availability and
exploitation of important minerals.

Water Resources
Ground water is the major source of irrigation in the district. The district has
maximum number of home wells in Tamilnadu. In many blocks over
exploitation of ground water is noticed. Due to this, water table is going
down remarkably. Though, watershed programmes and yielding positive
result, towards improving water table, it is observed to be not adequate.

Rivers
Cauvery, Thirumanimutharu, Sarapangandhi are the important rivers in the
district. Except Cauvery, other rivers flow only during rainy seasons. River
Basin & Other Catchment Areas Cauvery basin is the major river basin in
the district. The total area of Cauvery basin in the district is put at Ha. which
works out 81.26% of total basin of the district.

Fisheries
The annual production of fisheries is put at 428 tons. Main source of fish
production is Mettur Dam and PWDtanks.

Heritage Resources

33
Yercaud, which is popularly known as “Poormen‟s Ooty” is an import hill
station in the district. The growing construction activities in Yercaud affects
the ecological balance. Mettur Dam also finds important place as a natural
heritage centre.
Energy Resources
The district has one thermal power station and two hydro electric power
stations. The total installed capacity is 110 MW. The contribution of non-
conventional energy sources is meeting the power requirements is very
limited.
Block details

1. GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION

34
 North Latitude Between 11 14` and 12 53`
East Longitude Between 77 44` and 78 50`
2. AREA AND POPULATION (2001 CENSUS)
Population 2001
1. Area (Sq.km) 5205
2 Population (As per 2001 Census)
a. Male Population 1563633
b. Female Population 1452713
c. Rural Population 1626162
d. Urban Population 1390184
TOTAL 3016346
3. Density (per. Sq. Km.) 573
4. Literates (Population 2001) 1734442
5. Main Workers (Population 2001) 1279846
a. Total Workers 1454645
b. Male Workers 942939
c. Female Workers 511706
d. Rural Workers 883025
e. Urban workers 571620
f. Cultivators 301238
g. Agricultural Labourers 387901
h. Household Industry Workers 134261
i. Other workers 631245
j. Marginal Workers 174799
6. Non – Workers 1561701
(It Includes Aged persons, Housewives, Children and person engaged in
personnel

3. NUTRITIOUS MEALS PROGRAMME

Name of Programme No. of Centres No. of Beneficiaries
1. P.T.M.G.R. 1577 347680
2. I.C.D.S. 2186 81448
4. REVENUE ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS
1 Revenue Divisions 4
2 Revenue Taluks 9
3 Revenue Firkas 42
4 Revenue Villages 654
5. LOCAL BODIES
1 Corporations 1
2 Municipalities 3
35
3 Third Grade Municipality 1
4 Panchayat Unions 20
5 Town Panchayats 33
6 Village Panchayat 384
6. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
1 No. of Development Divisions 1
2 No. of Blocks Covered 20
3 Population Covered (Lakhs) 29.93
4 Area Covered (Sq. Km) 5205.30
7. POLICE AND PRISONS
Salem City Salem
Moffusil
1 Police
a. Police Force
1. Local 1436 1064
2. Armed Reserve 343 374
b. Police Stations 16 38
c. Police Outposts NIL NIL
2 Prisons
a. Central Prisons 1
b. Other Prisons Sub Jail 12
Spl. Jail 1
5th Gardan 1

8. MEDICAL AND HEALTH

1. Modern Medicine
a. No of Hospitals 11
b. Dispensaries 2
c. Primary Health Centres 70
d. Health Sub Centres 398
e. Other Medical Institutions 8
f. Beds in Hospitals and Dispensaries 1501
g. Total Number of Doctors 335
h. Total Number of Nurses 8510
2. Indian Medicine
a. No of Hospitals 11
b. Dispensaries 2
c. Primary Health Centres 16
d. Beds in Hospitals and Dispensaries 16
e. Total Number of Doctors 27
f. Total Number of Nurses NIL
3. Homeopathy
a. No of Hospitals 2

36
 b. Dispensaries NIL
c. Beds in Hospitals and Dispensaries NIL
d. Total Number of Doctors 2
e. Total Number of Nurses NIL
9. EDUCATION
Year 2005-2006
1 Universities 1
2 Arts and Science Colleges 14
3. Colleges for Professional Education
a. Medicine
i. Allopathy 2
ii. Indian Medicine -
iii. Homeopathy 1
b. Engineering Colleges 3
c. Agriculture Colleges -
d. Veterinary Colleges -
e. Law College 1
4 College for Special Education (Nursing) 1
5 Pre-Primary Schools 227
6 Primary Schools 1223
7 Middle Schools 279
8 High Schools 112
9 Higher Secondary Schools 132
10 Teacher Training Institute 4
11 Number of Fresh Entries Male Female
( I to V Std) 53919 47691
12 Number of Students passed at
a. High School (X Std) 8810 8013
b. Higher Secondary School (XII Std) 7973 6532
13 Number of Children Never Enrolled in 1159
School

10. VITAL STATISTICS 2005

Nos.
1. Birth 571153
2. Death 11623
3. Infant Details 1215
4. Birth Rate (per 1000 population)
a. Rural (42015) 19.0
b. Urban (15138) 17.4
c. Combined (57153) 18.6
5. Death Rate (per 1000 Population)
a. Rural (9935) 4.5

37
 b. Urban (1683) 1.9
c. Combined (11618) 3.8
6. Infant Mortality rate (per 1000 live births)
a. Rural (41230) N. A.
b. Urban (15004) N. A.
c. Combined (56234) N. A.
7. Expectation of life at birth
a. Male N. A.
b. Female N. A.
8. No. of Deaths of women due to problems related to child
birth
a. At the time of delivery 7
b. During Pregnancy 13
c. After Child birth (within 42 days) 50

11. TEMPERATURE (IN DEGREE CELSIUS)

1 Plains
a. Maximum 37.9
b. Minimum 18.9
2 Hill Station
a. Maximum NIL
b. Minimum NIL

12. RAIN FALL (IN M.M.)

1 Normal
South West (Jun-Sep) 380.0 mm
North East (Oct-Dec) 347.0 mm
2 Actual
South West (Jun-Sep) 408.1 mm
North East (Oct-Dec) 607.1 mm

Block wise Literacy Rate (%)

S. Name of the Total Literacy Rate

No block Male Female Total
1. Salem 291915 235847 527762

38
 2. Veerapandy 43241 28182 71423
3. Panamarathupatty 31509 20558 52067
4. Ayothiapattinam 45071 31960 77031
5. Valapady 32176 22683 54859
6. Attur 59628 44923 104551
7. P.N.Palayam 34748 24666 59416
8. Gangavalli 38629 27717 66346
9. Thalaivasal 43640 29540 73180
10 Sankari 41733 26251 67984
11 Magudanchavadi 29607 17004 46611
12 Idappadi 39844 23118 62962
13 Konganapuram 20711 10668 31379
14 Kolathur 45998 31384 67984
15 Mecheri 36351 21640 57997
16 Nangavalli 67122 30998 78120
17 Omalur 61698 38115 99813
18 Taramangalam 30897 18782 49679
19 Kadayampatty 36442 21290 57732
20 Yercaud 10812 6894 17706

1. Educational and other infrastructural facilities of latest available year

S. No Particulars Numbers / Values

01 Educational facilities

a) Pre-primary 227 / 134525 Students

b) Primary 1223 / 201811 Students

c) Middle 279 / 68352 Students

d) High 112 / 60018 Students

39
e) Higher-Secondary 132 / 178009 Students

02 Professional colleges

a) Medical 6 / 2200 Students

b) Engineering 3 / 4300 Students

c) Agriculture -

d) Veterinary / Fisheries -

e) Others (Please specify) 1 / 12 Depts,

03 Number of Arts and Science Colleges 11 / 1200 Students

04 Institutional Credit Facility 20 / 8267 Students

a) Name of the Lead Bank 14 / 14160 Students

Agro-climatic features : http://tawn.tnau.ac.in

2 .Area (ha), production (tonnes /ha) and productivity (kg/ha) of major crops
for 2009-10 (latest available year)
Total
S. Cropped Production Productivity
Crop
No Area (ha) (tonnes/ha) (kg/ha)
1 Paddy 32574 1.512 6958
2 Millets 118871 2.009 1651
3 Pulses 50244 0.350 695
4 Oilseeds 33646 0.541 1605

40
 5 Cotton 12956 0.399 3.080
6 Sugarcane 14439 14.132 97.867
7 Mango 5900 0.590 10000
8 Banana 1480 0.666 45000
9 Tapioca 18920 6.811 36000
10 Turmeric 4250 0.128 3000
11 Vegetables 8395 1.980 21000
12 Flower crops 1220 0.110 9000
(Source : Office of the JDA - Salem)

3 .Livestock and poultry population (in ‘000) for 2008-09 or 2009-10 (or latest
available year)
S. Name of
No Cattle BuffaloSheep Goat PoultryPigs Dogs
the block

1. Salem 14881 2434 9369 8554 26997 1212 12079

2. Veerapandy 17117 5820 19171 10194 40091 371 9968

3. Panamarath 12443 4058 5043 13839 21281 520 6983

upatty
4. Ayothiapatt 26819 1860 4031 26650 201979 745 6254
inam
5. Valapady 26710 1240 2089 26068 109170 1755 4212

6. Attur 35548 1678 1414 32146 17334 2320 5752

41
 7. P.N.Palaya 33752 1776 3368 39850 505429 5111 8108
m
8. Gangavalli 44753 3443 19651 28593 44410 5436 4953

9. Thalaivasal 45454 3556 6066 20481 1156969 3555 3180

10. Sankari 41843 20998 48558 44864 77891 155 10309

11. Magudanch 15800 5709 18846 9493 35620 59 5681

avadi
12. Idappadi 65880 25443 45098 21944 131021 13 11795

13. Konganapu 13538 3603 20853 7099 39406 242 3039

ram
14. Kolathur 28856 11380 41761 28868 46156 0 5293

15. Mecheri 19736 6886 91202 17765 200553 260 8861

16. Nangavalli 21316 7246 44130 21398 110720 218 7231

17. Omalur 45751 13804 35376 23928 270074 510 9076

18. Taramangal 22676 7763 26921 10528 39491 76 4490

am
19. Kadayampa 11257 2801 10580 11151 15250 32 1670
tty
20. Yercaud 6827 17 149 9132 8606 155 4762

District 550957 131515 453676 412545 3098448 22745 133696

Total
(Source 18th Census Details 2007-2008 - JDA Salem & Omalur)

42