Social,
Environmental & Economic Sustainability
Our analysis of the rank of the district
Backwardness : Does not figure in list of 447 backward
districts
Disability : 202 (Census 2001)
Minority : Does not figure in MCD
Literacy Ratio : 248 (Census 2001)
Sex Ratio Rank : 94
(Rank one is least sex ratio - Cenus 2001)
HIV Category District : C
(HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2004 - 2006)
Challenges of the district : Our research with local communities
There is frequent load shedding in our district.
For major part of the day, we are without electricity.
Roads are not well maintained. But now government has started taking
a note of it.
There are some areas which face acute water shortage.
People from the lowest strata are completely illiterate. Women literacy
is also very poor. Government should not ignore this issue.
Brief About Dhanbad District
Dhanbad district was constituted in 1956 by carving
out the old Dhanbad subdivision Chas and Chandankiyari police
stations of the Sadar subdivision of the erstwhile Manbhum district.
Dhanbad is Police district since 1928. The re-organisation of
the districts in the State of Bihar which took place after 1971
did not affect the district of Dhanbad. Dhanbad Municipality is
the chief town and the headquarters of the district. In the year
1991,Bokaro District was constituted by carving out Chas Sub-division
of Dhanbad district and Bermo Sub-division of Giridih District.
The district is bounded on the west by Giridih and Bokaro on
the north by Giridih and Dumka and on the east and south by Purulia
district of West Bengal. The early history of the greater part
of the Chotanagpur plateau is shrouded in mystery and that of
Dhanbad district is particularly so. Details of even later periods
are difficult to trace as the present district formed but a small
and insignificant part of Manbhum. In the Settlement Report for
Manbhum (1928) it has been stated that no rock inscriptions, copper
plates or old coins were discovered and not a single document
of copper plate or palm leaf was found in course of the Survey
and Settlement operations. The oldest authentic documents produced
were all on paper and barely even a hundred years old. In view
of these circumstances the District Gazetteer for Dhanbad (1964)
merely reproduces the chapter on history in the Settlement Report
of 1928 which pertains to the entire district of Manbhum. It was
a small village of the erstwhile district of Manbhum which had
its headquarter in Purulia (now in West Bengal). Manbhum in turn,
derived its name from Raja Man Singh who was gifted this territory
by Emperor Akbar , following his victory in a certain battle.
The district being extremely vast and far-flung soon got divided
into Birbhum, Manbhum and Singhbhum, for administrative purposes.
However, on 24.10.56 Dhanbad was declared a District on the Recommendation
of the State Reconstitution Commission vide notification 1911
. Its geographical length , extending from North to South , was
43 miles and breadth , 47 miles , stretching across East to West
. In 1991 a part of Dhanbad was sliced away from Bokaro district
, diminishing thereby its total area to 2995 Sq.Kms. Earlier ,
the district was split into two sub - divisions - Dhanbad Sadar
and Baghmara. The former incorporated 6 blocks , while the latter
had four and together they enclosed 30 Nagar Palikas, 228 Panchayats
and 1654 villages . The then vastness of the district called for
two police headquarters , based at Bokaro and Dhanbad respectively.
Meanwhile , the district as its stands today , has only one sub-division
called the Dhanbad Sadar. There are presently , 8 blocks here
viz. Jharia , Baghmara, Dhanbad, Nirsa, Govindpur, Baliapur, Tundi,
and Topchanchi. The blocks in turn have 181 panchayats and 1348
villages. As per the 1991 Census, the total population of the
districts stands at 19,49,526 of which the number of males have
been recorded as 10,71,913 along with 8,77,613 females. There
are 100850 acres of hillocks and 56454 acres of forests. It is
about 500-1000 feet above Sea level. Its soil is , by and large
lateritic in nature.
Locaion
The Dhanbad district is situated in the state of Jharkhand
and lies between 23o37'3" N and 24o4' N latitude and between
86o6'30" E and 86o50' E longitude.
Natural Divisions
The district can be divided into three broad natural
divisions, viz., (I) the north and north western portions consisting
of the hilly region, (ii) the uplands containing coal mines and
most of the industries and (iii) the remaining uplands and plains
lying to the south of the Damodar river consisting of cultivable
flat lands . The north and north western division is separated
for the entire length by the Grand trunk road.
In the western middle part of the district are the Dhangi hills,
situated in the strip falling between the Grand trunk road in
the north and the Grand chord line of the Eastern Rly. In the
south, these hills extend from Pradhankhanta to Govindpur, reaching
a maximum altitude of 1,256 feet at Dhangi.Further north, a branch
of the Parasnath hill runs through Topchanchi and Tundi, the highest
point of 1,500 feet being reached at Lalki. The southern part
of the district is largely comprised of undulating land. The general
slope is from west to east, the direction followed by the two
major rivers, Damodar and Barakar .
Rivers
The Damodar is the most important river of the Chotanagpur
plateau. It rises in Palamu and flows eastward between the plateaus
of Ranchi and Hazaribag. It is joined by the Bokaro, the Konar
and the Barakar rivers. The Damodar enters Dhanbad district at
its confluence with the Jamuria, a stream which marks the western
boundary of Dhanbad with Hazaribagh District. Further east, the
Damodar is joined by the Katri River which rises in the foot hills
below Parasnath and traverses through the Coal-field Area. The
Damodar flows for about 77 Km. through the district being joined
by the Barakar at its eastern border near Chirkunda. The Panchet
dam extending to roughly 6 Kms. is built on river Damodar. The
hydel station there generates 40,000 K.W. per hour.
The Barakar, which forms the northern boundary of the district,
traverses about 77 Kms. In the district. It flows in south westerly
direction up to Durgapur and then south till it joins the Damodar
near Chirkuda. The Maithon dam is located on this river about
13 Kms. off its confluence with the Damodar. Attached to it is
the Maithan Power Station with a generating capacity of 60,000
K.W.H.
Among other small rivers in the district are Gobai, the Irji,
the Khudia besides the river Katri.
Climatic conditions
The climate of the district is characterised by general
dryness. It is very pleasant during the cold weather from November
to February. Thereafter the climate becomes warm. It remains hot
until the monsoon breaks towards the middle of June. With the
setting in of rains the temperature falls and humidity rises,
July to October are the rainy months. July and August are the
wettest months. The average rainfall during July is 287 mm and
that in August 445 mm. The average annual rain fall in the district
is approximately 1300mm.
