A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that 3000 tonnes of gold discovered in Sonbhadra (UP). Even, several prominent media agencies have published articles with similar claims. A Central Minister has also tweeted (archived) the same. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Claim: 3000 tonnes of gold discovered in Sonbhadra district (UP).
Fact: The Geological Survey of India has clarified that the probable conservative figure of gold which can be unearthed at Sonapahari in Sonbhadra district (UP) is estimated to be around 160 kgs, not 3350 tonnes. It has also said that the media reports, regarding 3,350 tonnes of gold in Sonbhadra district, are not true. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
After news agencies published about the discovery of more than 3000 tonnes of gold in UP, many social media users attributed the success of the discovery to various persons and events. While some attributed it to the start of the process of temple construction in Ayodhya, the others attributed it to the Chief Minister of UP (Yogi Adityanath) and Lord Ram. Some even claimed that the gold found will be donated to the Ram Mandir.
But, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has clarified that the media reports of finding 3,350 tonnes of gold in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh are false. The GSI has tweeted that ‘the probable conservative figure of gold which can be unearthed is estimated to be around 160 kgs and not 3350 tonnes as mentioned in media reports’.
In the GSI’s Press Release, it can be read that around 53000 tonnes of ore with 3.03 grams’ gold per tonne were found at Sonapahari area in Sonbhadra district (UP), in the explorations conducted during 1998-2000. As the conversion rate is 3.03 grams’ gold per tonne, 53000 tonnes of Ore would just give around 160 kgs of gold (53000 x 3.03 / 1000). In the ‘Briefing Book’ published by GSI, it can be seen that 160 kgs of gold at Sonapahari area in Sonbhadra district (UP) was found back in 2000, not recently. The gold ore was also found in other areas of the same district but the estimates are very low and the gold ore reserves found are of low-quality. The GSI has stopped exploration at some places as it was not profitable to extract gold from those ores. More details regarding the gold ores and quality can be read in the Factly’s explainer.
Basic research of the official documents (all of them available in the public domain) indicates that the numbers quoted by the UP officials were exaggerated. The media reporting gave rise to all kinds of misinformation around this issue. Though the clarification from GSI was also carried by all the media outlets, it was a little too late in the day.
To sum it up, ‘media reports of finding 3,350 tonnes of gold in Sonbhadra district (UP) are false’, says GSI.
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