Orissa is rich in major minerals like Coal, Iron ore, Chromite ore, Manganese ore, Bauxite, Dolomite and Limestone.
Orissa is a coastal state and the eastern part has been formed by deltas of major rivers such as Mahanadi, Brahmani, Rushikulya and Subarnarekha with its numerous tributaries.
Forest resources of Orissa is one of the richest in the country and also it supplies essential raw materials to the pulp and paper industries.
The industrial growth in the state has mostly taken place in the areas where raw materials, water and power are available. The state can be divided into 12 industrially active zones / areas such as Rourkela – Rajgangpur area, Ib valley area, Hirakud area, Talcher-Angul area, Choudwar area, Balasore, Chandikhol, Paradeep area, Khurda-Tapang area, Joda-Barbil area and Rayagada area. There are 1566 nos. of industries in the Red category, 269 in orange category and 626 in Green category. Orissa has 18 nos. of grossly polluting industries. The major sources of water pollution is discharge of industrial waste water, sewage discharge from urban bodies, disposal of industrial and urban solid waste. About 25 million tons of solid waste is generated from industrial sectors in the state. Hazardous waste generation in the state has been estimated as 80003 MT / annum.
Out of the total recorded forest area of 58136.23 sq. km., 272.7 sq. km. has been diverted to 247 nos. of different as on 31.03.2003.
