NCERT NOTES

FOR GEOGRAPHY
11th Standard
India Physical Environment
CONTENTS
India - Location ................................................................................................................................ 1 - 2

Structure and Physiography ..................................................................................................... 3 - 13

Drainage System ....................................................................................................................... 14 - 26

Climate .......................................................................................................................................... 27 - 43

Natural Vegetation .................................................................................................................... 44 - 54

Soils ............................................................................................................................................... 55 - 61

Natural Hazards and Disasters ............................................................................................. 62 - 72

 INDIA - LOCATION
1
The Indian mainland extends from Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari in the south and Arunachal
Pradesh in the east to Gujarat in the west. India's territorial limit further extends towards the sea up to 12
nautical miles (about 21.9 km) from the coast. Our southern boundary extends up to 6°45' N latitude in the
Bay of Bengal.

Location of India:
· The Longitudinal and latitudinal extent of India is about 30 degrees.
· North-South distance: 3214 Km
· East-West distance: 2933 Km
· India with its area of 3.28 million sq. km accounts for 2.4 per cent of the world's land surface area and
stands as the seventh largest country in the world.
· Reason behind difference between North- South and East-West extent: The distance between two
longitudes decreases towards the poles whereas the distance between two latitudes remains the
same everywhere.
· Reasons for large Variations in landforms, climate, soil types and natural vegetation:
Ø The southern part of the country lies within the tropics.
Ø The northern part lies in the sub-tropical zone or the warm temperate zone.
· Impact of longitudinal extent on People:
Ø Longitudinal difference is nearly 30 degrees.
Ø There is two hours difference between easternmost and westernmost part of India.
Ø This means that sun rises two hours earlier in eastern part than in western part.

Size of India:
· The size of India has endowed her with great physical diversity. It has the presence of lofty mountains
in the north; large rivers such as Ganga, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari and Kaveri; green
forested hills in northeast and south India; and the vast sandy expanse of Marusthali.
· Indian subcontinent: It includes Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and India.
· The Peninsular part of India extends towards the Indian Ocean.
· The peninsular part provided India with a coastline of 6,100 km in the mainland and 7,517 km in the
entire geographical coast of the mainland plus the island groups Andaman and Nicobar located in the
Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea.
INDIA - LOCATION

1
 Interesting points

· Standard Meridian:
Ø There is a general understanding among the countries of the world to select the standard
meridian in multiples of 7°30' of longitude.
Ø The 82°30' E has been selected as the 'standard meridian' of India.
Ø Indian Standard Time (IST) is ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) by 5 hours and 30
minutes.
Ø There are some countries where there are more than one standard meridian due to their vast
east-to-west extent. For example, the USA has seven time zones.
· School Bhuvan: It is a portal providing map-based learning to bring awareness among the
students about country's natural resources, environment and their role in sustainable development.
· Sri Lanka is separated from India by the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait.
· Maldives is located south of Lakshadweep Island.

INDIA - LOCATION

2
 2 STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY
The earth and its landforms have evolved over a very long time. The current estimation shows that the earth
is approximately 460 million years old. Over these long years, it has undergone many changes brought about
primarily by the endogenic and exogenic forces. These forces have played a significant role in giving shape to
various surface and subsurface features of the earth.

Movement of Indian Plate:

· Indian plate was south of the equator and Australian part was part of the Indian plate million years ago.
· After the breaking, Indian plate moved towards northern direction and Australian plate towards
southern direction.

Division of India based on its Geological Structure and Formations:

· The Peninsular Block
· The Himalayas and other Peninsular Mountains
· The Indo-Ganga-Brahmaputra Plain

The Peninsular Block:

· Its Northern boundary may be taken as an irregular line running from Kachchh, western flank of the
Aravali Range to Delhi and then roughly parallel to the Yamuna and the Ganga as far as the Raajmahal
Hills and the Ganga delta.
· Extension of the Peninsular Block:
Ø North Eastern extent: Karbi Anglong and Meghalaya plateau
Ø Western Extent: Rajasthan
· The North-Eastern parts are separated by the Malda fault in West Bengal from the Chotanagpur
plateau.
· In Rajasthan, the desert and other desert-like features overlay this block.
· A major part of the peninsular region is formed by complex and very ancient gneisses and granite.
· Since Cambrian period, peninsular part has been standing like rigid block.
STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

Ø The exception is western coast which is submerged beneath the sea.

Ø The other parts changed due to tectonic activity.
· As a part of the Indo-Australian plate, peninsular block is subjected to various vertical movements and
block faulting. For examples, The rift valleys of Narmada, Tapi and Mahanadi and block mountain of
Satpura.
· The Peninsula mostly consists of relict and residual mountains like the Aravali hills, the Nallamala hills,
the Javadi hills, the Veliconda hills, the Palkonda range and the Mahendragiri hills, etc. and the river
valleys are shallow with low gradients.
· Most of the rivers flowing towards east and form deltas such river Krishna, Godavari, Mahanadi forms
delta.

3
The Himalayas and other Peninsular Mountains:
· The Himalayas along with other Peninsular mountains are young, weak and flexible in their geological
structure unlike the rigid and stable Peninsular Block.
· Peninsular and Himalayan mountains are still subjected to interplay of endogenic and exogenic forces
which resulting in the development of faults, folds and thrust plains.
· These mountains are tectonic in origin, dissected by fast-flowing rivers which are in their youthful
stage.
· Various landforms like gorges, V-shaped valleys, rapids, waterfalls, etc. are indicative of this youthful
stage.

Indo - Ganga - Brahmaputra Plain:

· It comprises the plain formed by river Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra.
· Originally, it was a geo-synclinal depression which developed in third phase of Himalayan formation
64 million years ago.
· Since then, it has been gradually filled by sediments brought by peninsular and Himalayan rivers.
· The average depth of alluvial deposits is 1000 - 2000 m.

Physiography:
· Physiography' of an area is the outcome of structure, process and the stage of development.
· Physical features of India: It is characterised by:
Ø The rugged mountain topography in North with various peaks, valleys and deep gorges.
Ø The Southern part consists stable table land with highly dissected plateaus, denuded rocks and
developed series of scarps.
Ø In between these two lies the vast north Indian plain.

Physiographic Division of India:

· The Northern and North-Eastern Mountains

STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

· The Northern Plain
· The Peninsular Plateau
· The Indian Desert
· The Coastal Plains
· The Islands

4
 The North and North-Eastern Mountains:
· The North and North-eastern Mountains are part of the Himalayas.
· It includes series of parallel mountain ranges such as Greater Himalayan range, which includes the
Great Himalayas and the Shiwalik.
· General orientation of the ranges:
Ø North-western part of India: Northwest to the southeast direction
Ø Himalayas in the Darjeeling and Sikkim regions: East-west direction
Ø Arunachal Pradesh: From southwest to the northwest direction.
STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

Ø Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram: North-south direction.

· The central axial length of the Great Himalayan Range is 2,500 km from east to west, and their width
varies between 160-400 km from north to south.
· Physical Barrier:
Ø Himalayas form strong and long wall between the Indian subcontinent and the Central and East
Asian countries.
Ø They also form climatic, drainage and cultural barriers.

Division of Himalayas:
It is based on relief, alignment of ranges and other geomorphological features.
· Kashmir or North-Western Himalayas

5
· Himachal and Uttarakhand Himalayas
· Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas
· Arunachal Himalayas
· Eastern Hills and Mountains
· Kashmir or North-Western Himalayas:
Ø It comprises a series of ranges such as the Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar and Pir Panjal.
Ø The cold desert is situated in its north eastern part between the Greater Himalaya and the Karakoram
range.
Ø The Kashmir valley lies between Great Himalaya and Pir Panjal range.
Ø Important glaciers of south Asia such as the Baltoro and Siachen are found in this range.
Ø It is famous for Karewa formations, which are useful for the cultivation of Zafran, a local variety of
saffron.
Ø Important Passes of this region: Zoji La on the Great Himalayas, Banihal on the Pir Panjal, Photu
La on the Zaskar and Khardung La on the Ladakh range.
Ø Important freshwater lakes such as Dal and Wular and saltwater lakes such as Pangong Tso and
Tso Moriri are also in this region.
Ø This region is drained by the river Indus, and its tributaries such as the Jhelum and the Chenab.
Ø This region is known for beautiful scenic features and picturesque landscape and this land scape is
important attraction for adventure tourists.
Ø Important Pilgrimage Sites: Vaishno Devi, Amarnath Cave, Charar -e-Sharif, etc.
Ø Srinagar is located on the banks of Jhelum river.
Ø Jhelum in the valley of Kashmir is still in its youth stage and yet forms meanders – a typical feature
associated with the mature stage in the evolution of fluvial landform.
Ø Its southernmost part consists of longitudinal valleys known as 'duns' such as Jammu dun and
Pathankot dun.

STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

Fig. 2.2: The Western Himalayas

6
 Himachal and Uttarakhand Himalayas:
· It lies between the Ravi in the west and the Kali (a tributary of Ghaghara) in the east.
· It is drained by two major river systems of India namely the Indus and the Ganga.
· Tributaries of the Indus: Ravi, Beas and Satluj
· Tributaries of Ganga: Yamuna and Ghaghara
· The Northern most part this region is extension of Ladakh cold desert which lies in the Spiti
subdivision of district Lahul and Spiti.
· All the three ranges of Himalayas are prominent in this section. These are from North to South:
Ø The Great Himalayan ranges
Ø The Lesser Himalayas: Locally known as Dhaoladhar in Himachal Pradesh and Nagtibha in
Uttarakhand
Ø The Shiwalik ranges
· The altitude is between 1,000-2,000 m specially attracted to the British colonial administration, and
they established:
Ø Important Hill Stations: Dharamshala, Mussoorie, Shimla, Kaosani
Ø Cantonment Towns and Health Resorts: Shimla, Mussoorie, Kasauli, Almora, Lansdowne and
Ranikhet, etc. were developed in this region.
· The two distinguishing features of this region are the 'Shiwalik' and 'Dun formations'.
Ø Important Duns: Chandigarh-Kalka dun, Nalagarh dun, Dehra Dun, Harike dun and the Kota dun, etc.
Ø Dehra Dun is the largest of all the duns with an approximate length of 35-45 km and a width of 22-25
km.
· The Great Himalayan range the valley is mostly inhabited by Bhotia's. These are nomadic groups who
migrate to 'Bugyals' (the summer glass lands in the higher reaches) during summer months and return
to the valleys during winters.
· Valley of flower is also situated in this region.
· Places of Pilgrimage: The Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib are
situated in this part.
STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

· The region is also known to have five famous Prayags (river confluences)

Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas:

· They are flanked by Nepal Himalayas in the west and Bhutan Himalayas in the east.
· This region is known for fast flowing rivers such as Tista.
· It is a region of high mountain peaks like Kanchenjunga (Kanchengiri), and deep valleys.
· The higher reaches of this region inhabited by Lepcha tribes.
· The southern part particularly, Darjilling Himalaya has a mixed population of Nepalis, Bengalis and
tribals from Central India.

7
 · The Britishers introduced Tea plantation in this region because of the physical conditions:
Ø Moderate slope
Ø Thick soil cover with high organic content
Ø Well distributed rainfall throughout the year
Ø Mild winters
· In this region, Shiwalik formation is absent and in place of the Shiwalik here, the 'duar formations' are
important, which have also been used for the development of tea gardens.
· Sikkim is known for its orchids.

Arunachal Himalayas:
· These extend from the east of the Bhutan Himalayas up to the Diphu pass in the east.
· Important Mountain Peaks: Kangtu and Namcha Barwa.
· These ranges are dissected by fast-flowing rivers from the north to the south, forming deep gorges.
Brahmaputra flows through a deep gorge after crossing Namcha Barwa.
· Important Rivers: The Kameng, the Subansiri, the Dihang, the Dibang and the Lohit. These are
perennial with the high rate of fall, thus, having the highest hydro-electric power potential in the
country.
· Ethnic Tribal Communities: From West to East are the Monpa, Abor, Mishmi, Nyishi and the Nagas.
Most of them practice Jhumming cultivation.
· Due to rugged topography, the inter-valley transportation linkages are nominal. Hence, most of the
interactions are carried through the duar region along the Arunachal-Assam border.

Eastern Hills and Mountains:

· These are part of the Himalayan mountain system having their general alignment from the North to
the South direction.
· They are known by different local names:
Ø Northern region: Patkai Bum, Naga hills, Manipur hills

STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

Ø Southern region: Mizo or Lushai hills.
· These are low hills, inhabited by numerous tribal groups practising Jhum cultivation.
· Most of these ranges are separated from each other by numerous small rivers.
· The Barak is an important river in Manipur and Mizoram and other rivers of both states forms
tributaries of Barak which in turn tributary of Meghana.
· Loktak lake in Manipur is surrounded by mountains in a unique feature.
· The rivers in the eastern part of Manipur are the tributaries of Chindwin, which in turn is a tributary of
the Irrawaddy of Myanmar.
· Mizoram which is also known as the 'Molassis basin' which is made up of soft unconsolidated
deposits.

8
 · Most of the rivers in Nagaland form the tributary of the Brahmaputra.

Fig. 2.3: The Eastern Himalayas

The Northern Plains:

· They are formed by the alluvial deposits brought by the rivers – the Indus, the Ganga and the
STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

Brahmaputra.
· Its length is 3200 km from east to west, average width varies from 150-300 Km and the maximum
depth is between 1000-2000 m.
· From the north to the south, these can be divided into three major zones: The Bhabar, the Tarai and
the alluvial plains. The alluvial plains can be further divided into the Khadar and the Bhangar.
Ø Bhabar:
o It is a narrow belt ranging between 8-10 km parallel to the Shiwalik foothills at the break-up of
the slope.
o The streams and rivers coming from the mountains deposit heavy materials of rocks and
boulders, and at times, disappear in this zone.
Ø Tarai:

9
 o It lies South of the Bhabar with an approximate width of 10-20 km.
o Most of the streams and rivers re-emerge without having any properly demarcated channel,
thereby, creating marshy and swampy conditions known as the Tarai.
o This has a luxurious growth of natural vegetation and houses a varied wildlife.
Ø The south of Tarai is a belt consisting of old and new alluvial deposits known as the Bhangar and
Khadar respectively.
· These plains have characteristic features of mature stage of fluvial erosional and depositional
landforms such as sand bars, meanders, oxbow lakes and braided channels.
· The Brahmaputra plains are known for their riverine islands and sand bars. Most of these areas are
subjected to periodic floods and shifting river courses forming braided streams.
· The states of Haryana and Delhi form a water divide between the Indus and the Ganga river systems.
· Brahmaputra river flows from the northeast to the southwest direction before it takes an almost 90°
southward turn at Dhubri before it enters into Bangladesh.
· These river valley plains have a fertile alluvial soil cover which supports a variety of crops like wheat,
rice, sugarcane and jute, and hence, supports a large population.

The Peninsular Plateau:

· Rising from the height of 150 m above the river plains up to an elevation of 600-900 m is the irregular
triangle known as the Peninsular plateau.
· Extent:
Ø Northwest: Delhi ridge (extension of Aravalis)
Ø East: Rajmahal hills
Ø West: Gir range
Ø South: Cardamom hills constitute the outer extent of the Peninsular plateau.
· It is made up of a series of patland plateaus such as the Hazaribagh plateau, the Palamu plateau, the
Ranchi plateau, the Malwa plateau, the Coimbatore, plateau and the Karnataka plateau, etc.
· The general elevation of the plateau is from the west to the east.
· Important Physiographic Features: Tors, block mountains, rift valleys, spurs, bare rocky structures,

STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

series of hummocky hills and wall-like quartzite dykes offering natural sites for water storage.
· The western and north-western part of the plateau has an emphatic presence of black soil.
· It has gone from recurrent phases of upliftment and submergence such as Bhima fault.
· The north-western part of the plateau has a complex relief of ravines and gorges such as the ravines
of Chambal, Bhind and Morena.
· On the basis of the prominent relief features, the Peninsular plateau can be divided into three broad
groups: The Deccan Plateau, The Central Highlands, The North-eastern Plateau.

The Deccan Plateau:

· This is bordered by the Western Ghats in the west, Eastern Ghats in the east and the Satpura, Maikal
range and Mahadeo hills in the north.

10
 · Western Ghats are locally known by different names:
Ø Sahyadri in Maharashtra.
Ø Nilgiri hills in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Ø Anaimalai hills and Cardamom hills in Kerala.
· Western ghats are higher in elevation and more continuous.
Ø Average elevation is about 1,500 m with the height increasing from north to south.
Ø Anaimudi (2,695 m), the highest peak of peninsular region followed by Dodabetta (2,637 m) on
the Nilgiri hills.
· The Eastern Ghats comprising the discontinuous and low hills are highly eroded by the rivers such as
the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Kaveri, etc.
· The Eastern and the Western Ghats meet each other at the Nilgiri hills.

The Central Highlands:

· They are bounded to the west by the Aravali range.
· The Satpura range is formed by a series of scarped plateaus on the south generally at an elevation
varying between 600-900 m above the mean sea level.
Ø This forms the northernmost boundary of the Deccan plateau.
Ø It is a classic example of the relict mountains which are highly denuded and form discontinuous
ranges.
· The western region of this peninsular part has undergone metamorphic processes in its geological
history, which can be corroborated by the presence of metamorphic rocks such as marble, slate, gneiss,
etc.
· The general elevation of the Central Highlands ranges between 700-1,000 m above.
· It slopes towards the north and north-eastern directions.
· Most of the tributaries of the river Yamuna have their origin in the Vindhyan and Kaimur ranges.
· Banas is the only significant tributary of the river Chambal that originates from the Aravalli in the
west.
· An eastern extension of the Central Highland is formed by the Rajmahal hills, to the south of which
STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

lies a large reserve of mineral resources in the Chotanagpur plateau.

The North-Eastern Plateau:

· It is extension of peninsular plateau.
· It is believed that due to the force exerted by the north-east ward movement of the Indian plate at the
time of the Himalayan origin, a huge fault was created between the Rajmahal hills and the Meghalaya
plateau.
· The Meghalaya plateau is further sub-divided into three regions: The Garo Hills; The Khasi Hills; The
Jaintia Hills. An extension of this is also seen in the Karbi Anglong hills of Assam.
· The Meghalaya plateau is also rich in mineral resources like coal, iron ore, sillimanite, limestone and
uranium.

11
 · This area receives maximum rainfall from the south west monsoon.
Ø As a result, the Meghalaya plateau has a highly eroded surface.
Ø Cherrapunji displays a bare rocky surface devoid of any permanent vegetation cover.

The Indian Desert:

· It lies to the northwest of the Aravali hills.
· It is a land of undulating topography dotted with longitudinal dunes and barchans.
· During the Mesozoic era, this region was under the sea.
Ø This can be corroborated by the evidence available at wood fossils park at Aakal and marine
deposits around Brahmsar, near Jaisalmer.
· Desert land Features: Mushroom rocks, shifting dunes and oasis (mostly in its southern part).
· The desert can be divided into two parts based on the orientation:
Ø Northern part: Slopes towards Sindh.
Ø Southern part: Slopes towards Rann of Kachchh.
· Most of the rivers are ephemeral.
· The Luni river flowing in the southern part of the desert is of some significance.
· This region presents a typical case of inland drainage by joining a lake or playa.
· The lakes and the playas have brackish water which is the main source of obtaining salt.

Coastal Plains:
On the basis of the location and active geomorphological processes, it can be broadly divided into two
regions:

The Western Coastal Plains:

· It is submerged coastal plain.
· Due to submergence, it is a narrow belt and provides natural conditions for the development of ports
and harbours such as Kandla, Mazagaon, JLN port Navha Sheva, Marmagao, Mangalore, Cochin, etc.
· It may be divided into following divisions:

STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

Ø Kachchh and Kathiawar coast in Gujarat.
Ø Konkan coast in Maharashtra.
Ø Goan coast and Malabar coast in Karnataka and Kerala respectively.
· They are narrow in the middle and get broader towards north and south.
· The Malabar coast has got certain distinguishing features in the form of 'Kayals' (backwaters), which
are used for fishing, inland navigation.
· Every year the famous Nehru Trophy Vallamkali (boat race) is held in Punnamada Kayal in Kerala.

The Eastern Coastal Plains:

· These are broader and are an example of an emergent coast.
· There are well developed deltas formed by the rivers flowing eastward into the Bay of Bengal.

12
 · It has a smaller number of ports and harbours. The continental shelf extends up to 500 km into the
sea, which makes it difficult for the development of good ports and harbours.

The Islands:
There are two major island groups in India, one in the Bay of Bengal and the other in the Arabian Sea.
The Bay of Bengal island groups:
· It consists of about 572 islands/islets and are situated roughly between 6°N-14°N and 92°E -94°E.
· The two principal groups of islets include the Ritchie's archipelago and the Labrynth island.
· The Andaman and Nicobar are separated by a water body which is called ten-degree channel.
· These islands are an elevated portion of submarine mountains.
· Barren island, the only active volcano in India is also situated in the Nicobar Islands.
· These islands receive convectional rainfall and have an equatorial type of vegetation.

The Islands of the Arabian Sea:

· It includes Lakshadweep and Minicoy.
· These are scattered between 8°N-12°N and 71°E -74°E longitude.
· These islands are located of 280 km-480 km off the Kerala coast.
· The entire island group is built of coral deposits.
· There are approximately 36 islands of which 11 are inhabited.
· Minicoy is the largest island with an area of 453 sq. km.
· The entire group of islands is broadly divided by the Ten-degree channel, north of ten-degree channel
Amini island and south of it Cannanore island is situated.
· The Islands of this archipelago have storm beaches consisting of unconsolidated pebbles, shingles,
cobbles and boulders on the eastern seaboard.

Interesting points
STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

· Karewas: These are the thick deposits of glacial clay and other materials embedded with moraines.
· In Kashmir Valley, the meanders in Jhelum river are caused by the local base level provided by the
erstwhile larger lake of which the present Dal Lake is a small part.
· Some important mountain peaks in Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
Ø Saddle peak (North Andaman – 738 m)
Ø Mount Diavolo (Middle Andaman – 515 m)
Ø Mount Koyob (South Andaman – 460 m)
Ø Mount Thuiller (Great Nicobar – 642 m)

13
 3 DRAINAGE SYSTEM
The flow of water through well-defined channels is known as 'drainage' and the network of such channels
is called a 'drainage system'. The drainage pattern of an area is the outcome of the geological time period,
nature and structure of rocks, topography, slope, amount of water flowing and the periodicity of the flow.

Important Terms related to Drainage:

· A river drains the water collected from a specific area, which is called its 'catchment area'.
· An area drained by a river and its tributaries is called a drainage basin.
· The boundary line separating one drainage basin from the other is known as the watershed.
· The catchments of large rivers are called river basins while those of small rivulets and rills are
often referred to as watersheds. Watersheds are small in area while the basins cover larger
areas.

DRAINAGE SYSTEM

Figure 3.1: Major Rivers of India

14
 Division of Indian Drainage System:
· On the basis of Discharge of water (orientations to the sea):
Ø It may be grouped into the Arabian Sea drainage, and the Bay of Bengal drainage.
Ø They are separated from each other through the Delhi ridge, the Aravalis and the Sahyadris.
· On the basis of the size of the Watershed:
Ø Major River Basins: It has more than 20,000 sq. km of catchment area. It includes 14 drainage
basins such as the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Krishna, the Tapi, the Narmada, the Mahi, the
Pennar, the Sabarmati, the Barak, etc.
Ø Medium River Basins: It has catchment area between 2,000-20,000 sq. km and incorporate 44
river basins such as the Kalindi, the Periyar, the Meghna, etc.
Ø Minor River Basins: It has catchment area of less than 2,000 sq. km and include fairly good number
of rivers flowing in the area of low rainfall.

Drainage Systems of India:

· The most accepted classification is Himalayan drainage system and Peninsular drainage system.
· Indian drainage system consists of a large number of small and big rivers.
· It is the outcome of the evolutionary process of the three major physiographic units and the nature
and characteristics of precipitation.

Himalayan Drainage System:

· The Himalayan drainage system has evolved through a long geological history.
· It mainly includes the Ganga, the Indus and the Brahmaputra river basins. These rivers are flowing
from large gorges which is carved out by the erosional activity carried on simultaneously with the uplift
of the Himalayas.
· These rivers form deep gorges, V-shaped valleys, rapids and waterfalls in their mountainous course.
· While entering the plains, they form depositional features like flat valleys, ox-bow lakes, flood plains,
braided channels, and deltas near the river mouth.
· In the Himalayan reaches, the course of these rivers is highly tortous, but over the plains they display
a strong meandering tendency and shift their courses frequently.
· River Kosi, also known as the 'sorrow of Bihar', has been notorious for frequently changing its course.
As this river brings huge quantity of sediments and deposit on its plains consequently course gets
blocked.
SYSTEM

Evolution of Himalayan Drainage System:

DRAINAGECRAFTS

· During the Miocene period some 5-24 million years ago, the river Shiwalik or Indo-Brahma traversed
the entire longitudinal extent of the Himalaya from Assam to Punjab and onwards to Sind, and finally
THEATRE

discharged into the Gulf of Sind near lower Punjab.

· The remarkable continuity of the Shiwalik and its lacustrine origin and alluvial deposits consisting of
sands, silt, clay, boulders and conglomerates support this viewpoint.

15
 · Indo-Brahma river was dismembered into three main drainage systems:
Ø The Indus and its five tributaries in the western part.
Ø The Ganga and its Himalayan tributaries in the central part.
Ø The Brahmaputra in Assam and its Himalayan tributaries in the eastern part.
· This dismemberment due to Pleistocene upheaval in the western Himalayas and uplift of Potawar
plateau (Delhi ridge), which acted as water divide between Indus and Ganga river system.
· Also, down thrusting of Malda gap in mid Pleistocene period diverted the Ganga and the
Brahmaputra systems to flow towards the Bay of Bengal.

River System of Himalayan Drainage

The Indus River System:
· It is one of the largest river basins of the world, covering an area of 11,65,000 sq. km (in India it is 321,
289 sq. km) and a total length of 2,880 km (in India 1,114 km).
· It is the western most Himalayan river of the India and in Tibet it is known as 'Singi Khamban, or
Lion's mouth.
· It originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu (31°15' N latitude and 81°40' E longitude) in the Tibetan
region at an altitude of 4,164 m in the Kailash Mountain range.
· It flows North-West direction between Ladakh and Zaskar range and passes through Ladakh and
Baltistan region.
· It cuts across the Ladakh range and forms gorge near Gilgit in Jammu and Kashmir.
· It enters Pakistan near Chilas in the Dardistan region.
· Left Bank Tributaries: Zaskar, Suru, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj, etc.
· Right Bank Tributaries: Shyok, Hunza, Nubara, Kabul, Khurram, Gomal, Tochi, The Viboa and the
Sangar, etc.
· It finally emerges out of the hills near Attock where it receives the Kabul river on its right bank.
· The river flows southward and receives 'Panjnad' a little above Mithankot.
· The Panjnad is the name given to the five rivers of Punjab, namely the Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the
Chenab and the Jhelum.
· Indus flows in India only through Jammu and Kashmir.

Tributaries of the Indus

Jhelum:
· It rises from a spring at Verinag situated at the foot of the Pir Panjal in the south-eastern part of the
DRAINAGE SYSTEM

valley of Kashmir.
· It flows through Srinagar and the Wular lake before entering Pakistan through a deep narrow gorge.
· It joins the Chenab near Jhang in Pakistan.

Chenab:
· It is the largest tributary of the Indus.

16
 · It is formed by two streams, the Chandra and the Bhaga, which join at Tandi near Keylong in Himachal
Pradesh. Hence, it is also known as Chandrabhaga.
· The river flows for 1,180 km before entering Pakistan.

Ravi:
· It rises west of the Rohtang pass in the Kullu hills of Himachal Pradesh and flows through the
Chamba valley of the state.
· Before entering Pakistan and joining the Chenab near Sarai Sidhu, it drains the area lying between the
south-eastern part of the Pir Panjal and the Dhauladhar ranges.

Beas:
· It originates from the Beas Kund near the Rohtang Pass at an elevation of 4,000 m above the mean
sea level.
· The river flows through the Kullu valley and forms gorges at Kati and Largi in the Dhaoladhar range.
· It enters the Punjab plains where it meets the Satluj near Harike.

Satluj:
· It originates in the 'Raksas tal' near Mansarovar at an altitude of 4,555 m in Tibet where it is known as
Langchen Khambab.
· It flows almost parallel to the Indus for about 400 km before entering India and comes out of a gorge
at Rupar.
· It passes through the Shipki La on the Himalayan ranges and enters the Punjab plains.
· It is an antecedent river.
· It is a very important tributary as it feeds the canal system of the Bhakra Nangal project.

The Ganga System:

· The Ganga is the most important river of India both from the point of view of its basin and cultural
significance.
· It rises in the Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh (3,900 m) in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Here,
it is known as the Bhagirathi.
· It cuts through the Central and the Lesser Himalayas in narrow gorges.
· At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda; hereafter, it is known as the Ganga.
· The Alaknanda has its source in the Satopanth glacier above Badrinath. Important Prayags where
DRAINAGE SYSTEM

other rivers meet Alaknanda are:

Ø Vishnu Prayag or Joshimath: Alaknanda consists of the Dhauli and the Vishnu Ganga which meet
here.
Ø Karna Prayag: Pindar joins Alaknanda.
Ø Rudra Prayag: Mandakini or Kali Ganga meets Alaknanda.
· The Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar. After this, it flows first to the south, then to the south-east

17
 and east.
· It has a length of 2,525 km. It is shared by Uttarakhand (110 km) and Uttar Pradesh (1,450 km), Bihar
(445 km) and West Bengal (520 km).
· The Ganga basin covers about 8.6 lakh sq. km area in India.
· The Ganga river system consist of rivers originating from both peninsula and Himalayas.
· Left Bank Tributaries: Ramganga, Gomati, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi and Mahananda
· Right Bank Tributaries: Son, Punpun and Damodar

Tributaries of Ganga river

Yamuna:
· It is the western most and the longest tributary of the Ganga and has its source in the Yamunotri
glacier on the western slopes of Banderpunch range (6,316 km).
· It joins the Ganga at Prayagraj (Allahabad).
· Right Bank Tributaries: Chambal, Sind, Betwa and Ken.
· Left Bank Tributaries: Hindan, Rind, Sengar, the Varuna.

Chambal:
· It rises near Mhow in the Malwa plateau of Madhya Pradesh and flows through a gorge up wards of
Kota in Rajasthan, where the Gandhisagar dam has been constructed.
· From Kota, it traverses down to Bundi, Sawai Madhopur and Dholpur, and finally joins the Yamuna.
· The Chambal is famous for its badland topography called the Chambal ravines.

Gandak:
· It comprises two streams, namely Kaligandak and Trishulganga.
· It rises in the Nepal Himalayas between the Dhaulagiri and Mount Everest and drains the central part
of Nepal.
· It enters the Ganga plain in Champaran district of Bihar and joins the Ganga at Sonpur near Patna.

Ghaghara:
· It originates in the glaciers of Mapchachungo. After collecting the waters of its tributaries – Tila, Seti
and Beri, it comes out of the mountain, cutting a deep gorge at Shishapani.
· The river Sarda (Kali or Kali Ganga) joins it in the plain before it finally meets the Ganga at Chhapra.
DRAINAGE SYSTEM

Kosi:
· It is an antecedent river with its source to the north of Mount Everest in Tibet, where its main-stream
Arun rises.
· After crossing the Central Himalayas in Nepal, it is joined by the Son Kosi from the West and the
Tamur Kosi from the east.
· It forms Sapt Kosi after uniting with the river Arun.

18
 Ramganga:
· It is comparatively a small river rising in the Garhwal hills near Gairsain.
· It changes its course to the southwest direction after crossing the Shiwalik and enters into the plains of
Uttar Pradesh near Najibabad.
· Finally, it joins the Ganga near Kannauj.

Damodar:
· It occupies the eastern margins of the Chotanagpur Plateau where it flows through a rift valley and
finally joins the Hugli.
· The Barakar is its main tributary.
· Once known as the 'sorrow of Bengal', the Damodar has been now tamed by the Damodar Valley
corporation, a multipurpose project.

Sarda or Saryu river:

· It rises in the Milam glacier in the Nepal Himalayas where it is known as the Goriganga.
· Along the Indo-Nepal border, it is called Kali or Chauk, where it joins the Ghaghara.

Mahananda:
· It is another important tributary of the Ganga rising in the Darjilling hills.
· It joins the Ganga as its last left bank tributary in West Bengal.

Son:
· It Is a large south bank tributary of the Ganga, originating in the Amarkantak plateau.
· After forming a series of waterfalls at the edge of the plateau, it reaches Arrah, west of Patna, to join
the Ganga.

The Brahmaputra System:

· The Brahmaputra, one of the largest rivers of the world, has its origin in the Chemayungdung glacier
of the Kailash range near the Mansarovar lake.
· Then it travels eastward longitudinally for a distance of nearly 1,200 km in a dry and flat region of
southern Tibet, where it is known as the Tsangpo, which means 'the purifier'.
· The Rango Tsangpo is the major right bank tributary of this river in Tibet.
· It emerges out by carving out a deep gorge in the Central Himalayas near Namcha Barwa (7,755 m).
DRAINAGE SYSTEM

· The river emerges from the foothills under the name of Siang or Dihang.
· It enters India west of Sadiya town in Arunachal Pradesh.
· Left Bank Tributaries: Burhi Dihing and Dhansari (South)
· Right Bank Tributaries: Subansiri, Kameng, Manas and Sankosh
· The Subansiri which has its origin in Tibet, is an antecedent river.
· The Brahmaputra enters into Bangladesh near Dhubri and flows southward.

19
 Ø In Bangladesh, the Tista joins it on its right bank from where the river is known as the Jamuna.
Ø It finally merges with the river Padma, which falls in the Bay of Bengal.
· The Brahmaputra is well-known for floods, channel shifting and bank erosion because the fact that
most of its tributaries are large and bring large quantity of sediments owing to heavy rainfall in its
catchment area.

The Peninsular River System:

· The Peninsular drainage system is older than the Himalayan one. This is evident from the broad,
largely graded shallow valleys, and the maturity of the rivers.
· Most of the major Peninsular rivers except Narmada and Tapi flow from west to east.
· The Western Ghats act as the water divide between west and east flowing rivers.
· The Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa, the Ken, the Son, originating in the northern part of the Peninsula
belong to the Ganga river system.
· The major river systems of the Peninsular drainage are the Mahanadi the Godavari, the Krishna and
the Kaveri.
· Peninsular rivers are characterised by fixed course, absence of meanders and nonperennial flow of
water. The Narmada and the Tapi which flow through the rift valley are, however, exceptions.

Evolution of Peninsular Drainage System:

Three major geological events of past have shaped the present drainage systems of Peninsular India:
· Subsidence of the Western part of the Peninsula:
Ø It leads to its submergence below the sea during the early tertiary period.
Ø It has disturbed the symmetrical plan of the river on either side of the original watershed.
· Upheaval of the Himalayas:
Ø When the northern flank of the Peninsular block was subjected to subsidence and the consequent
trough faulting.
Ø The Narmada and the Tapi flow in trough faults and fill the original cracks with their detritus
materials. Hence, there is a lack of alluvial and deltaic deposits in these rivers.
· Slight tilting of the Peninsular Block:
Ø From northwest to the south-eastern direction gave orientation to the entire drainage system
towards the Bay of Bengal during the same period.

River Systems of the Peninsular Drainage

DRAINAGE SYSTEM

Mahanadi:
· It rises near Sihawa in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh and runs through Odisha to discharge its water
into the Bay of Bengal.
· It is 851 km long and its catchment area spreads over 1.42 lakh sq. km.
· Some navigation is carried on in the lower course of this river.
· 53 per cent of the drainage basin of this river lies in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while 47 per

20
 cent lies in Odisha.
Godavari Colon
· Godavari is the largest Peninsular river system. It is also called the Dakshin Ganga.
· It rises in the Nasik district of Maharashtra and discharges its water into the Bay of Bengal.
· Its tributaries run through the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and
Andhra Pradesh.
· It is 1,465 km long with a catchment area spreading over 3.13 lakh sq. km of which 49 per cent of this,
lies in Maharashtra, 20 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and the rest in Andhra Pradesh.
· Left Bank Tributaries: Banganga, Kadva, Shivana, Purna, Kadam, Pranahita, Indravati, Taliperu,
Sabari, Dharna
· Right Bank Tributaries: Nasardi, Pravara, Sindphana, Manjira, Manair, Kinnerasani.
· The Godavari is subjected to heavy floods in its lower reaches to the south of Polavaram, where it
forms a picturesque gorge.
· It is navigable only in the deltaic stretch.
· The river after Rajamundri splits into several branches forming a large delta.

Krishna:
· It is the second largest east-flowing Peninsular river which rises near Mahabaleshwar in Sahyadri.
· Its total length is 1,401 km.
· Left Bank Tributaries: Bhima, Dindi, Peddavagu, Musi, Paleru, Munneru.
· Right Bank Tributaries: Koyana, Venna, Panchganga, Dhudhganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha and
Tungabhadra.
· Out of the total catchment area of the Krishna, 27 per cent lies in Maharashtra, 44 per cent in Karnataka
and 29 per cent in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Kaveri:
· It rises in Brahmagiri hills (1,341m) of Kogadu district in Karnataka.
· Its length is 800 km, and it drains an area of 81,155 sq. km.
· The river carries water throughout the year with comparatively less fluctuation than the other
Peninsular rivers.
Ø Upper catchment area receives rainfall during the southwest monsoon season (summer)
Ø Lower part during the northeast monsoon season (winter)
· About 3 per cent of the Kaveri basin falls in Kerala, 41 per cent in Karnataka and 56 per cent in Tamil
DRAINAGE SYSTEM

Nadu.
· Left Bank Tributaries: Herangi, Hemvati, Shimsha, Akravaty etc.
· Right Bank Tributaries: Kabini, Bhavani, Amravati, Lakshmana tirtha, Noyyal etc.

Narmada:
· It originates on the western flank of the Amarkantak plateau at a height of about 1,057 m.

21
 · Flowing in a rift valley between the Satpura in the south and the Vindhyan range in the north, it forms
a picturesque gorge in marble rocks and Dhuandhar waterfall near Jabalpur.
· After flowing a distance of about 1,312 km, it meets the Arabian sea south of Bharuch, forming a
broad 27 km long estuary.
· Its catchment area is about 98,796 sq. km.
· The Sardar Sarovar Project has been constructed on this river.

Tapi:
· It originates from Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
· It is 724 km long and drains an area of 65,145 sq. km.
· Nearly 79 per cent of its basin lies in Maharashtra, 15 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and the remaining 6
per cent in Gujarat.

Luni:
· It is the largest river system of Rajasthan and flows west of Aravali.
· It originates near Pushkar in two branches, i.e., the Saraswati and the Sabarmati.
Ø These rivers join each other at Govindgarh.
Ø At Govindgarh, the river comes out of Aravali and is known as Luni.
· It flows towards the west till Telwara and then takes a southwest direction to join the Rann of Kuchchh.
· The entire river system is ephemeral.

Some West flowing Rivers: The rivers flowing towards the Arabian sea have short courses.

In Gujarat:
· Shetruniji rises near Dalkahwa in Amreli district.
· Bhadra originates near Aniali village in Rajkot district.
· Sabarmati and Mahi are the two famous rivers of Gujarat.
· Dhadhar rises near Ghantar village in Panchmahal district.
In Maharashtra: Vaitarna rises from the Trimbak hills in Nasik district at an elevation of 670 m.

In Karnataka:
· Kalinadi rises from Belgaum district and falls in the Karwar Bay.
· Bedti source lies in Hubli Dharwar and it has course of 161 km.
DRAINAGE SYSTEM

· Sharavati originates in Shimoga district of Karnataka and drains a catchment area of 2,209 sq. km.
In Goa: It has two important rivers, Mandovi and Juari.

In Kerala:
· Bharathapuzha rises near Annamalai hills. It is also known as Ponnani. It drains an area of 5,397 sq.
km. It is the longest river of Kerala.

22
 · Periyar is the second largest river of Kerala. Its catchment area is 5,243 sq. km.
· Pamba falls in the Vemobanad lake after traversing a course of 177 km.

Rivers Catchment area (in sq km)

Mahi 34,832

Sabarmati 21,674

Bharathapuzha 5,397

Periyar 5,247

Kalinadi 5,179

Dhandhar 2,770

Sharavati 2,029

Some East Flowing Rivers: There are small rivers which join the Bay of Bengal.
In Jharkhand:
Subarnrekha rises over Chota Nagpur plateau, Jharkhand.

In Odisha:
· Baitarni rises in the hills of Kendhujhar, Odisha.
· Brahmani is formed by two streams the river south Koel and Sankh join near Rourkela and then it is
called Brahmani river.
· Vamsadhara originate on southern part of Odisha and it flows through Andhra Pradesh.

In Karnataka:
· Penner:
Ø The northern Pennar originate from Nadidurga Karnataka and it flows through Andhra Pradesh.
DRAINAGE SYSTEM

Ø The southern Pennar rises from Keshav hills of Karnataka. It flows south to the northern Pennar
and drains into Bay of Bengal.
· Palar rises from Kolar district of Karnataka and flows through Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The
river Poini and Cheyyar are two important tributaries.
In Tamil Nadu:
Vaigai rises from hills of Varshanand hills of Mdhurai. It drains into Palk strait.

23
 Rivers Catchment area in sq.km

Pennar 55,213

Brahmani 39,033

Subarnarekha 19,296

Palar 17,870

Baitarni 12,789

River Regimes:
The pattern of flow of water in a river channel over a year is known as its regime.

Himalayan river:
· The north Indian rivers originating from the Himalayas are perennial as they are fed by glaciers
through snow melt and also receive rainfall water during rainy season so there is less fluctuations in
river regime.
· The rivers of South India do not originate from glaciers and their flow pattern witnesses
fluctuations. Thus, the regime of the rivers of South India is controlled by rainfall which also varies
from one part of the Peninsular plateau to the other.

Discharge: The discharge is the volume of water flowing in a river and it is measured either in
cusecs (cubic feet per second) or cumecs (cubic metres per second).

Ganga:
It has its minimum flow during the January-June period. The maximum flow is attained either in August or in
September. After September, there is a steady fall in the flow. The river, thus, has a monsoon regime during
the rainy season.
· There are striking differences in the river regimes in the eastern and the western parts of the Ganga
DRAINAGE SYSTEM

Basin.
Ø The Ganga maintains a sizeable flow in the early part of summer due to snow melt before the
monsoon rains begin.
Ø The mean maximum discharge of the Ganga at Farakka is about 55,000 cusecs while the mean
minimum is only 1,300 cusecs.

24
 Peninsular rivers
Narmada:
· It has a very low volume of discharge from January to July, but it suddenly rises in August when the
maximum flow is attained.
· The fall in October is as spectacular as the rise in August.
· The flow of water in the Narmada, as recorded at Garudeshwar, shows that the maximum flow is of the
order of 2,300 cusecs, while the minimum flow is only 15 cusecs.

Godavari:
· It has the minimum discharge in May, and the maximum in July-August.
· After August, there is a sharp fall in water flow although the volume of flow in October and November
is higher than that in any of the months from January to May.
· The mean maximum discharge of the Godavari at Polavaram is 3,200 cusecs while the mean minimum
flow is only 50 cusecs.

Aspects Himalayan river Peninsular river

Place of origin Mountains covered with glaciers Peninsular plateau and central highland

Nature of flow Perennial: Receive water from Seasonal: Dependent on monsoon

glaciers and rainfall rainfall

Type of drainage Antecedent and consequent Super imposed, rejuvenated resulting in

leading to dendritic pattern in trellis, radial and rectangular pattern
plains

Nature of river Long course, flowing through the Smaller, fixed course and well-adjusted
rigged mountains experiencing valleys
headward erosion and river
capturing. In plains, meandering
and shifting of course.

Catchment area Very large basin Relatively smaller basin

DRAINAGE SYSTEM

Age of river Young and youthful, active, and Old rivers with graded profile and have
deepening in river valleys almost reached their base level

Table 3.1: comparison between Himalayan and peninsular river system.

25
Uneven Distribution of Water:
The rivers of India carry huge volumes of water per year, but it is unevenly distributed both in time and space.
· There are perennial rivers carrying water throughout the year while the non-perennial rivers have
very little water during monsoon.
· During rainy season much of water of the water is wasted in floods and flows down to the sea.
· When there is a flood in one part of the country, the other area suffers from drought.

Reasons of River pollution:

· Industrial affluents and wastes get disposed in rivers.
· Most of the cremation grounds are on the banks of rivers and the dead bodies are sometimes thrown
in the rivers.
· On the occasion of some festivals, the flowers and statues are immersed in the rivers.
· Large scale bathing and washing of clothes.

Interesting points

· Important Drainage Patters:

Ø Dendritic: The drainage pattern resembling the branches of a tree is known as “dendritic”
such as the rivers of northern plain.
Ø Radial: When the rivers originate from a hill and flow in all directions, the drainage pattern is
known as 'radial' such as the rivers originating from the Amarkantak range.
Ø Trellis: When the primary tributaries of rivers flow parallel to each other and secondary
tributaries join them at right angles, the pattern is known as 'trellis'.
Ø Centripetal: When the rivers discharge their waters from all directions in a lake or depression,
the pattern is known as 'centripetal'
· Namami Gange Programme: It is an Integrated flagship Conservation programme approved in
June 2014 with the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and
rejuvenation of the National River Ganga. Main pillars of the Namami Gange Programme are:
Ø Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure
Ø River-Front Development
Ø River-Surface Cleaning
Ø Biodiversity
DRAINAGE SYSTEM

Ø Afforestation
Ø Public Awareness
Ø Industrial Effluent Monitoring
Ø Ganga Gram

26
 CLIMATE
4
Climate refers to the average of the weather conditions over a longer period of time. India has hot
monsoonal climate which is the prevalent climate in south and southeast Asia.

Climate of India:
· Monsoon connotes the climate associated with seasonal reversal in the direction of winds.
· The climate of India has many regional variations expressed in the pattern of winds, temperature and
rainfall, rhythm of seasons and the degree of wetness or dryness. These regional diversities may be
described as sub-types of monsoon climate.

Regional Variations in Precipitation:

· While snowfall occurs in the Himalayas, it only rains over the rest of the country.
· Cherrapunji and Mawsynram in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya receive rainfall over 1,080 cm in a year
whereas Jaisalmer in Rajasthan rarely gets more than 9 cm of rainfall during the same period.
· The Ganga delta and the coastal plains of Odisha are hit by strong rain-bearing storms in July and
August.
· The Coromandal coast goes generally dry during July and August months.
· Most parts of India get rainfall during June-September, but on the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, it rains
in the beginning of the winter season.

Factors Determining Climate of India:

India's climate is controlled by a number of factors which can be broadly divided into two groups — factors
related to location and relief, and factors related to air pressure and winds.

Factors related to Location and Relief

Latitude:
· The Tropic of Cancer passes through the central part of India in east-west direction. Thus, northern
part of the India lies in sub-tropical and temperate zone and the part lying south of the Tropic of
Cancer falls in the tropical zone.
· The tropical zone being nearer to the equator, experiences high temperatures throughout the year
with small daily and annual range.
· Area north of the Tropic of Cancer being away from the equator, experiences extreme climate with
high daily and annual range of temperature.

Himalayan Mountains:
· It acts as an effective climatic divide and protects the subcontinent from the cold northern winds.
These cold and chilly winds originate near the Arctic circle and blow across central and eastern Asia.
· The Himalayas also trap the monsoon winds, forcing them to shed their moisture within the
CLIMATE

subcontinent.

27
Distribution of Land and Water:
· India is flanked by the Indian Ocean on three sides in the south and girdled by a high and continuous
mountain-wall in the north.
· As compared to the landmass, water heats up or cools down slowly. This differential heating of land
and sea creates different air pressure zones in different seasons in and around the Indian
subcontinent.
· Difference in air pressure causes reversal in the direction of monsoon winds.

Distance from the Sea:

· With a long coastline, large coastal areas have an equable climate.
· Areas in the interior of India are far away from the moderating influence of the sea. Such areas have
extremes of climate.
· The seasonal contrasts in weather at places in the interior of the country such as Delhi, Kanpur and
Amritsar can be observed.

Altitude:
· Temperature decreases with height.
· Due to thin air, places in the mountains are cooler than places on the plains. For example, Agra and
Darjiling are located on the same latitude, but temperature of January in Agra is 16°C whereas it is only
4°C in Darjiling.

Relief:
· The physiography or relief of India also affects the temperature, air pressure, direction and speed of
wind and the amount and distribution of rainfall.
· The windward sides of Western Ghats and Assam receive high rainfall during June-September
whereas the southern plateau remains dry due to its leeward situation along the Western Ghats.
Air Pressure and Wind:
To understand the differences in local climates of India, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of the
following three factors:
· Distribution of air pressure and winds on the surface of the earth.
· Upper air circulation caused by factors controlling global weather and the inflow of different air
masses and jet streams.
· Inflow of western cyclones generally known as disturbances during the winter season and tropical depressions
during the south-west monsoon period into India, creating weather conditions favourable to rainfall.

Mechanism of Weather in the Winter Season

Surface Pressure and Winds:
CLIMATE

· In winter months, the weather conditions over India are generally influenced by the distribution of
pressure in Central and Western Asia.

28
 · A high-pressure centre in the region lying to the north of the Himalayas develops during winter.
· The centre of high pressure gives rise to the flow of air at the low level from the north towards the
Indian subcontinent, south of the mountain range.
· The surface winds blowing out of the high-pressure centre over Central Asia reach India in the form of
a dry continental air mass.
Ø These continental winds encounter trade winds over north-western India.
Ø The position of this contact zone is not, however, stable.
· Occasionally, it may shift its position as far east as the middle Ganga valley with the result that the
whole of the north-western and northern India up to the middle Ganga valley comes under the
influence of dry north-western winds.

Jet Stream and Upper Air Circulation:

· Jet streams are observed up in the lower troposphere, about 3 km above the surface of the earth.
· The variations in the atmospheric pressure closer to the surface of the earth have no role to play in the
making of upper air circulation.
CLIMATE

Fig. 4.1: Direction of Winds in India in Winter at the Height of 9-13 km

29
 · All of Western and Central Asia remains under the influence of westerly winds along the altitude of 9-
13 km from west to east.
· These winds blow across the Asian continent at latitudes north of the Himalayas roughly parallel to the
Tibetan highlands and are known as jet streams.
· Tibetan highlands act as a barrier in the path of these jet streams. As a result, jet streams get
bifurcated
Ø One of its branches blows to the north of the Tibetan highlands.
Ø The southern branch blows in an eastward direction, south of the Himalayas.
o It has its mean position at 25°N in February at 200-300 mb level.
o It is believed that this southern branch of the jet stream exercises an important influence on the
winter weather in India.

Western Cyclonic Disturbance and Tropical Cyclones:

· The western cyclonic disturbances which enter the Indian subcontinent from the west and the
northwest during the winter months, originate over the Mediterranean Sea and are brought into India
by the westerly jet stream.
· An increase in the prevailing night temperature generally indicates an advance in the arrival of these
cyclones' disturbances.
· Tropical cyclones originate over the Bay of Bengal and the Indian ocean. These tropical cyclones have
very high wind velocity and heavy rainfall and hit the Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast.
· Most of these cyclones are very destructive due to high wind velocity and torrential rain that
accompanies it.

Mechanism of Weather in Summer Season

Surface Pressure and Winds:
· When the sun shifts northwards, the wind circulation over the subcontinent undergoes a complete
reversal at both, the lower and the upper levels.
· By the middle of July, the low-pressure belt nearer the surface [termed as Inter Tropical Convergence
Zone (ITCZ)] shifts northwards, roughly parallel to the Himalayas between 20° N and 25° N.
· By this time, the westerly jet stream withdraws from the Indian region.
· There is an interrelationship between the northward shift of the equatorial trough (ITCZ) and the
withdrawal of the westerly jet stream from over the North Indian Plain.
· ITCZ is low pressure zone and attract maritime tropical airmass from the southern hemisphere, after
crossing the equator, rushes to the low-pressure area in the general south-westerly direction.
· It is this moist air current which is popularly known as the southwest monsoon.

Jet Streams and Upper Air Circulation:

CLIMATE

· The pattern of pressure and winds is formed only at the level of the troposphere.
· An easterly jet stream flows over the southern part of the Peninsula in June.

30
 · In August, it is confined to 15oN latitude, and in September up to 22o N latitudes.
· The easterlies normally do not extend to the north of 30o N latitude in the upper atmosphere.

Figure 4.2: Summer Monsoon Winds (Surface Circulation)

Easterly Jet Stream and Tropical Cyclones:

· The easterly jet stream steers the tropical depressions into India.
· These depressions play a significant role in the distribution of monsoon rainfall over the Indian
subcontinent.
· The tracks of these depressions are the areas of highest rainfall in India.
· The frequency at which these depressions visit India, their direction and intensity, all go a long way in
determining the rainfall pattern during the southwest monsoon period.

The Nature of Indian Monsoon:

Systematic studies of the causes of rainfall in the South Asian region help to understand the causes and
salient features of the monsoon, particularly some of its important aspects, such as:
· The onset of the monsoon
· Rain-bearing systems (e.g., tropical cyclones) and the relationship between their frequency and
CLIMATE

distribution of monsoon rainfall

· Break in the monsoon

31
 · Onset of the Monsoon:
Ø It was believed that the differential heating of land and sea during the summer months is the
mechanism which sets the stage for the monsoon winds to drift towards the subcontinent.
Ø During April and May when the sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Cancer, the large landmass in
the north of Indian ocean gets intensely heated.
Ø This causes the formation of an intense low pressure in the north-western part of the
subcontinent. Since the pressure in the Indian Ocean in the south of the landmass is high as water
gets heat slowly and low-pressure cell attracts southeast trades across the Equator.
Ø The southwest monsoon may be seen as a continuation of the southeast trades deflected
towards the Indian subcontinent after crossing the Equator.
Ø These winds cross the Equator between 40°E and 60°E longitudes.
Ø The shift in position to ITCZ is also related to the phenomenon of the withdrawal of the westerly
jet stream from its position over the north Indian plain, south Himalayas.
Ø The easterly jet stream sets in along 15°N latitude only after the western jet stream has
withdrawn itself from the region. This easterly jet stream is held responsible for the burst of the
monsoon in India.
Ø Entry of Monsoon into India: The southwest monsoon sets in over the Kerala coast by 1st June and
moves swiftly to reach Mumbai and Kolkata between 10th and 13th June. By mid-July southwest
monsoon engulfs the entire subcontinent.

Rain-bearing Systems and Rainfall Distribution:

· Two rain-bearing systems in India.
Ø First originate in the Bay of Bengal causing rainfall over the plains of north India.
Ø Second is the Arabian Sea current of the southwest monsoon which brings rain to the west coast
of India.
· Much of the rainfall along the Western Ghats is orographic as the moist air is obstructed and forced to
rise along the Ghats.
· The intensity of rainfall over the west coast of India is related to two factors:
Ø The offshore meteorological conditions.
Ø The position of the equatorial jet stream along the eastern coast of Africa.
· The frequency of the tropical depressions originating from the Bay of Bengal varies from year to year.
Ø Their paths over India are mainly determined by the position of ITCZ which is generally termed as
the monsoon trough.
Ø As the axis of the monsoon trough oscillates, there are fluctuations in the track and direction of
these depressions, and the intensity and the amount of rainfall vary from year to year.
· The rain which comes in spells, displays a declining trend from west to east over the west coast, and
from the southeast towards the northwest over the North Indian Plain and the northern part of the
CLIMATE

Peninsula.

32
 Break in the Monsoon:
· During the south-west monsoon period after having rains for a few days, if rain fails to occur for one
or more weeks, it is known as break in the monsoon.
· These dry spells are quite common during the rainy season.
· These breaks in the different regions are due to different reasons:
Ø In northern India rains are likely to fail if the rain-bearing storms are not very frequent along the
monsoon trough or the ITCZ over this region.
Ø Over the west coast the dry spells are associated with days when winds blow parallel to the coast.

The Rhythm of Seasons:

The climatic conditions of India can best be described in terms of an annual cycle of seasons. The
meteorologists recognise the following four seasons:
· Cold weather season
· Hot weather season
· Southwest monsoon season
· Retreating monsoon season

Cold Weather Season

Temperature:
· Usually, the cold weather season sets in by mid-November in northern India.
· December and January are the coldest months in the northern plain.
· The mean daily temperature remains below 21°C, over most parts of northern India.
· The night temperature may be quite low.
· There are three main reasons for the excessive cold in north India during this season:
Ø States like Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan being far away from the moderating influence of sea
experience continental climate.
Ø The snowfall in the nearby Himalayan ranges creates cold wave situation.
Ø Around February, the cold winds coming from the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan bring cold
wave along with frost and fog over the north-western parts of India.
· The Peninsular region of India, however, does not have any well-defined cold weather season.
· There is hardly any seasonal change in the distribution pattern of the temperature in coastal areas
because of moderating influence of the sea and the proximity to equator.

Pressure and Winds:

· By the end of December (22nd December), the sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Capricorn in
the southern hemisphere.
· The weather in this season is characterised by feeble high-pressure conditions over the northern
CLIMATE

plain. In South India, air pressure slightly lower.

Ø As a result, winds start blowing from north-western high-pressure zone to the low air pressure

33
 zone over the Indian Ocean in the south.
· Due to low pressure gradient, the light winds with a low velocity of about 3-5 km per hour begin to
blow outwards.
· By and large, the topography of the region influences the wind direction.
Ø They are westerly or north-westerly down the Ganga Valley.
Ø They become northerly in the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta.
Ø Free from the influence of topography, they are clearly north-easterly over the Bay of Bengal.
· Cyclonic depressions originating over the east Mediterranean Sea and travelling eastwards across
West Asia, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan before they reach the north-western parts of India.
· On their way, the moisture content gets augmented from the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian
Gulf in the south.
Rainfall:
Winter monsoons do not cause rainfall as they move from land to the sea. It is because they have little
humidity and due to anti cyclonic circulation on land, the possibility of rainfall from them reduces. However,
there are some exceptions to it:
· Some weak temperate cyclones from the Mediterranean Sea cause rainfall in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi
and western Uttar Pradesh.
Ø Although the amount is meagre, it is highly beneficial for rabi crops.
Ø The precipitation is in the form of snowfall in the lower Himalayas. It is this snow that sustains the
flow of water in the Himalayan rivers during the summer months.
· The precipitation goes on decreasing from west to east in the plains and from north to south in the
mountains.
· Central parts of India and northern parts of southern Peninsula also get winter rainfall occasionally.
· Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the north-eastern parts of India also have rains between 25 mm and
50 mm during these winter months.
· During October and November, northeast monsoon while crossing over the Bay of Bengal, picks up
moisture and causes torrential rainfall over the Tamil Nadu coast, southern Andhra Pradesh,
southeast Karnataka and southeast Kerala.

Hot Weather Season

Temperature:
· The apparent northward movement of the sun towards the Tropic of Cancer in March, temperatures
start rising in north India.
· April, May and June are the months of summer in north India.
· The hot weather season in south India is mild and not so intense as found in north India.
· The Peninsular situation of south India with moderating effect of the oceans keeps the temperatures
lower than that prevailing in north India.
CLIMATE

· In the coastal regions, the north-south extent of isotherms parallel to the coast confirms that
temperature does not decrease from north to south rather it increases from the coast to the interior.

34
 Pressure and Winds:
· The summer months are a period of excessive heat and falling air pressure in the northern half of the
country.
· Because of the heating of the subcontinent, this elongated low pressure monsoon trough extends
over the Thar desert in the north-west to Patna and Chotanagpur plateau in the east-southeast.
· The location of the ITCZ attracts a surface circulation of the winds which are south-westerly on the
west coast as well as along the coast of West Bengal and Bangladesh.
· Currents of south-westerly monsoon are in reality 'displaced' equatorial westerlies. The influx of
these winds by mid-June brings about a change in the weather towards the rainy season.
· In the heart of the ITCZ in the northwest, the dry and hot winds known as 'Loo', blows in the
afternoon.
· Dust storms in the evening are very common during May in Punjab, Haryana, Eastern Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh.
Ø These temporary storms bring a welcome respite from the oppressing heat since they bring with
them light rains and a pleasant cool breeze.
· A sudden contact between dry and moist air masses gives rise to local storms of great intensity, these
local storms are associated with violent winds, torrential rains and hailstorms.

Famous local Storms of Hot Weather Season

Mango Shower: There are pre-monsoon showers which are a common phenomenon in Kerala
and coastal areas of Karnataka. Locally, they are known as mango showers since they help in the
early ripening of mangoes.
Blossom Shower: With this shower, coffee flowers blossom in Kerala and nearby areas.
Nor Westers: These are dreaded evening thunderstorms in Bengal and Assam.
Ø Their notorious nature can be understood from the local nomenclature of 'Kalbaisakhi', a
calamity of the month of Baisakh.
Ø These showers are useful for tea, jute and rice cultivation.
Ø In Assam, these storms are known as “Bardoli Chheerha”.
Loo: Hot, dry, and oppressing winds blowing in the Northern plains from Punjab to Bihar
with higher intensity between Delhi and Patna.

South-West Monsoon Season:

· High temperature over northern plains create lower pressure condition, and they are powerful
enough to attract trade winds of southern hemisphere.
· These southeast trade winds cross the equator and enter the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
· Passing over the equatorial warm currents, they bring with them moisture in abundance.
· After crossing the equator, they follow a south-westerly direction.
CLIMATE

· The sudden onset of the moisture-laden winds associated with violent thunder and lightning, is often
termed as the “break” or “burst” of the monsoons.

35
Two branches of monsoon :
· Arabian sea branch: The monsoon winds originating over the Arabian Sea further split into three
branches:
Ø First branch: It is obstructed by the Western Ghats and climb the slopes of the Western Ghats from
900-1200 m.
o The windward side of the Sahyadris and Western Coastal Plain receive very heavy rainfall
ranging between 250 cm and 400 cm.
o After crossing western ghats, these winds descend and become hotter and get heated up and
reduces moisture, thus east of western ghat is the rain shadow region.
Ø Second branch: It strikes with coast of the north Mumbai.
o It moves along valley of Narmada and Tapi and cause extensive rainfall over central India.
o It enters the Ganga plains and mingle with the Bay of Bengal branch.
Ø Third branch: It strikes the Saurashtra Peninsula and the Kachchh.
o It then passes over west Rajasthan and along the Aravalis, causing only a scanty rainfall.
o In Punjab and Haryana, it too joins the Bay of Bengal branch. These two branches, reinforced by
each other, cause rains in the western Himalayas.
· Bay of Bengal branch:
Ø It strikes the coast of Myanmar and part of southeast Bangladesh but Arakan Hills along the coast
of Myanmar deflect a big portion of this branch towards the Indian subcontinent.
Ø The monsoon enters West Bengal and Bangladesh from south and southeast direction.
Ø This branch splits into two under the influence of the Himalayas and the thermal low is northwest
India.
o One branch moves westward along the Ganga plains reaching as far as the Punjab plains.
o The other branch moves up the Brahmaputra valley in the north and the northeast, causing
widespread rains.
Ø Its sub-branch strikes the Garo and Khasi hills of Meghalaya.
Ø Mawsynram, located on the crest of Khasi hills, receives the highest average annual rainfall in the
world.
Ø Tamil Nadu coast remains dry during this season:
o The Tamil Nadu coast is situated parallel to the Bay of Bengal branch of southwest monsoon.
o It lies in the rain-shadow area of the Arabian Sea branch of the south-west monsoon.

Characteristics of Monsoon Rainfall:

· Rainfall received from the southwest monsoons is seasonal in character, which occurs between June
and September.
· Monsoonal rainfall is largely governed by relief or topography.
Ø For instance, the windward side of the Western Ghats register a rainfall of over 250 cm.
CLIMATE

Ø The heavy rainfall in the north-eastern states can be attributed to their hill ranges and the Eastern
Himalayas.

36
 · The monsoon rainfall has a declining trend with increasing distance from the sea. Kolkata receives
119 cm during the southwest monsoon period, Patna 105 cm, Allahabad 76 cm and Delhi 56 cm.
· The monsoon rains occur in wet spells of few days' duration at a time.
Ø The wet spells are interspersed with rainless interval known as 'breaks.
Ø These breaks in rainfall are related to the cyclonic depressions mainly formed at the head of the Bay
of Bengal, and their crossing into the mainland.
· Besides the frequency and intensity of these depressions, the passage followed by them determines
the spatial distribution of rainfall.
· The summer rainfall comes in a heavy downpour leading to considerable run off and soil erosion.
· Monsoons play a pivotal role in the agrarian economy of India because over three-fourths of the total
rain in the country is received during the southwest monsoon season.
· Its spatial distribution is also uneven which ranges from 12 cm to more than 250 cm.
· The beginning of the rains sometimes is considerably delayed over the whole or a part of the country.
· The rains sometimes end considerably earlier than usual, causing great damage to standing crops and
making the sowing of winter crops difficult.

Season of Retreating Monsoon:

· The months of October and November are known for retreating monsoons.
· By the end of September, the southwest monsoon becomes weak as the low-pressure trough of the
Ganga plain starts moving southward in response to the southward march of the sun.
· The monsoon retreats from the western Rajasthan by the first week of September.
· It withdraws from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western Ganga plain and the Central Highlands by the end of
the month.
· By the beginning of October, the low pressure covers northern parts of the Bay of Bengal and by early
November, it moves over Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
· By the middle of December, the centre of low pressure is completely removed from the Peninsula.
· It is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature. The land is still moist.
· Owing to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather becomes rather oppressive.
This is commonly known as the 'October heat'.
· In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall rapidly, particularly in northern India.
· The weather in the retreating monsoon is dry in north India but it is associated with rain in the eastern
part of the Peninsula.
· The widespread rain in this season is associated with the passage of cyclonic depressions which
originate over the Andaman Sea and manage to cross the eastern coast of the southern Peninsula.
Ø These tropical cyclones are very destructive.
Ø The thickly populated deltas of the Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri are their preferred targets.
Ø A few cyclonic storms also strike the coast of West Bengal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
CLIMATE

Ø The bulk of the rainfall of the Coromandal coast is derived from these depressions and cyclones.
Ø Such cyclonic storms are less frequent in the Arabian Sea.

37
 El-Nino and Indian Monsoon
EI-Nino is a complex weather system that appears once every three to seven years, bringing
drought, floods and other weather extremes to different parts of the world.
· The system involves oceanic and atmospheric phenomena with the appearance of warm
currents off the coast of Peru in the Eastern Pacific and affects weather in many places
including India.
· EI-Nino is merely an extension of the warm equatorial current which gets replaced
temporarily by cold Peruvian current or Humboldt current.
· This current increases the temperature of water on the Peruvian coast by 10°C and results
in:
· The distortion of equatorial atmospheric circulation.
· Irregularities in the evaporation of sea water.
· Reduction in the number of planktons which further reduces the number of fish in the sea.
· EI-Nino is used in India for forecasting long range monsoon rainfall.

Traditional Indian Seasons:

· In the Indian tradition, a year is divided into six two-monthly seasons. This cycle of seasons, which
the common people in north and central India followed.
· However, this system does not match with the seasons of south India where there is little variation in
the seasons.

Seasons Months (according to Indian Months (according to Gregorian

tradition) calendar)

Vasanta Chaitra-Vaisakha March-April

Grishma Jiashtha-Asadha May-June

Varsha Sravana-Bhadra July-August

Sharada Asvina-Kartika September-October

Hemanta Margashirsha-Pusha November-December

Shishira Magha-Phalguna January-February

CLIMATE

Table 4.1: Name of seasons in Traditional Indian and Gregorian calendar

38
 Distribution of Rainfall:
The average annual rainfall in India is about 125 cm, but it has great spatial variations.
· Areas of High Rainfall:
Ø The highest rainfall occurs on the Western Ghats, as well as in the sub-Himalayan areas (northeast
and the hills of Meghalaya).
Ø In some parts of Khasi and Jaintia hills, the rainfall exceeds 1,000 cm.
Ø In the Brahmaputra valley and the adjoining hills, the rainfall is less than 200 cm.
· Areas of Medium Rainfall:
Ø Rainfall between 100-200 cm is received in the southern parts of Gujarat, east Tamil Nadu, north-
eastern Peninsula covering Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, eastern Madhya Pradesh, northern Ganga
plain along the sub-Himalayas and the Cachar Valley and Manipur.
· Areas of Low Rainfall: Western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, eastern
Rajasthan, Gujarat and Deccan Plateau receive rainfall between 50-100 cm.
· Areas of Inadequate Rainfall: Parts of the Peninsula, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and
Maharashtra, Ladakh and most of western Rajasthan receive rainfall below 50 cm.
· Snowfall is restricted to Himalayan region.

Variability of Rainfall:
· A characteristic feature of rainfall in India is its variability. The variability of rainfall is computed with the
help of the following formula:

Here, C.V. is the coefficient of variation.

· The values of coefficient of variation show the change from the mean values of rainfall. The actual
rainfall in some places deviates from 20-50 per cent.
· A variability of less than 25 per cent exists on the western coasts, Western Ghats, north-eastern
Peninsula, eastern plains of the Ganga, north-eastern India, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and
south-western part of Jammu and Kashmir. These areas have an annual rainfall of over 100 cm.
· A variability of over 50 per cent exists in the western part of Rajasthan, northern part of Jammu and
Kashmir and interior parts of the Deccan plateau. These areas have an annual rainfall of less than 50
cm.
· Rest of India have a variability of 25-50 per cent and these areas receive an annual rainfall between
CLIMATE

50 -100 cm.

39
 Figure 4.3: India: Seasonal Rainfall (June-September)

Climatic Regions of India:

· A climatic region has a homogeneous climatic condition which is the result of a combination of factors.
· Temperature and rainfall are two important elements which are considered to be decisive in all the
schemes of climatic classification.
· Koeppen based his scheme of Climatic classification on monthly values of temperature and
precipitation. He identified five major climatic types, namely:
Ø Tropical climates: Mean monthly temperature throughout the year is over 18°C.
Ø Dry climates: Precipitation is very low in comparison to temperature, and hence, dry. If dryness is
less, it is semiarid (S); if it is more, the climate is arid(W).
CLIMATE

Ø Warm temperate climates: Mean temperature of the coldest month is between 18°C and minus
3°C.

40
 Ø Cool temperate climates: Mean temperature of the warmest month is over 10°C, and mean
temperature of the coldest month is under minus 3°C.
Ø Ice climates: Mean temperature of the warmest month is under 10°C.
· Koeppen used letter symbols to denote climatic types as given above.
· Each type is further sub-divided into sub-types on the basis of seasonal variations in the distributional
pattern of rainfall and temperature.
· He used S for semi-arid and W for arid and the following small letters to define sub-types: f (sufficient
precipitation), m (rain forest despite a dry monsoon season), w (dry season in winter), h (dry and hot), c
(less than four months with mean temperature over 10°C), and g (Gangetic plain).
· Accordingly, India can be divided into following eight climatic regions.

Type of climate Areas

Amw: Monsoon with short dry season West coast of India south of Goa

As: Monsoon with dry summer Coromandal coast of Tamil Nadu

Aw: Tropical savannah Most of peninsular plateau and south of tropic of cancer

Bwhw: Semiarid steppe climate North-western Gujarat, some parts of western

Rajasthan and Punjab

Bwhw: Hot desert Extreme western Rajasthan

Cwg: Monsoon with dry winter Ganga plain, eastern Rajasthan, northern Madhya
Pradesh, most of North-east India

Dfc: Cold humid winter with short Arunachal Pradesh

summer

E: Polar type Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand

Table 4.2: Climatic Regions of India According to Koeppen's Scheme.

CLIMATE

41
 Fig. 4.4: India: Climatic Regions According to Koeppen's Scheme

Monsoon and Economic life of India:

· Monsoon is that axis around which revolves the entire agricultural cycle of India. It is because about
64 per cent people of India depend on agriculture for their livelihood and agriculture itself is based on
southwest monsoon.
· Except Himalayas, all the parts of India have temperature above the threshold level to grow the
crops or plants throughout the year.
· Regional variations in monsoon climate help in growing various types of crops.
· Variability of rainfall brings droughts or floods every year in some parts of the country.
· Agricultural prosperity of India depends very much on timely and adequately distributed rainfall. If it
fails, agriculture is adversely affected particularly in those regions where means of irrigation are not
CLIMATE

developed.
· Sudden monsoon burst creates problem of soil erosion over large areas in India.

42
 · Winter rainfall by temperate cyclones in north India is highly beneficial for rabi crops.
Global Warming:
· Human activities such as large-scale industrialisation and presence of polluting gas in the
atmosphere are also important factors responsible for global warming.
· Carbon dioxide produced by human activities is a major source of concern. This gas, released to the
atmosphere in large quantities by burning of fossil fuel, is increasing gradually.
· Other gases like methane, chlorofluorocarbons, and nitrous oxide which are present in much smaller
concentrations in the atmosphere, together with carbon dioxide are known as greenhouse gases.
These gases are better absorbers of long wave radiations than carbon dioxide, and so, are more
effective at enhancing the greenhouse effect.
Effect of Global Warming:
It is projected that by the year 2,100, global temperature will increase by about 2°C. This rise in
temperature will cause many other changes:
· Rise in sea level, as a result of melting of glaciers and sea-ice due to warming.
Ø On an average, the sea level will rise 48 cm by the end of twenty first century.
Ø This would increase the incidence of annual flooding.
· Climatic change would promote insect borne diseases like malaria, and lead to shift in climatic
boundaries, making some regions wetter and others drier.
· Agricultural pattern would shift and human population as well as the ecosystem would experience
change.

Interesting points

· Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ):

Ø It is a low-pressure zone located at the equator where trade winds converge, and so, it is a zone
where air tends to ascend.
Ø In July, the ITCZ is located around 20°N-25°N latitudes (over the Gangetic plain), sometimes
called the monsoon trough. This monsoon trough encourages the development of thermal low
over north and northwest India.
Ø Due to the shift of ITCZ, the trade winds of the southern hemisphere cross the equator between
40° and 60°E longitudes and start blowing from southwest to northeast due to the Coriolis force.
· The intensity of southwest monsoon winds of southern oscillation can be measured by the
difference in pressure between Tahiti (roughly 20°S and 140°W) in French Polynesia in East Pacific
and port Darwin (12°30'S and 131°E) in northern Australia.
· Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) can forecast the possible behaviour of monsoons on the
basis of 16 indicators.
CLIMATE

43
 5 NATURAL VEGETATION
Natural vegetation refers to a plant community that has been left undisturbed over a long time, so as to allow
its individual species to adjust themselves to climate and soil conditions as fully as possible.

Variation in Natural Vegetation of India:

India is a land of great variety of natural vegetation depending upon the variations in the climate and the
soil.
· Himalayan heights are marked with temperate vegetation.
· Western Ghats and the Andaman Nicobar Islands have tropical rain forests.
· Deltaic regions have tropical forests and mangroves.
· Desert and semi-desert areas of Rajasthan are known for cacti, a wide variety of bushes and thorny
vegetation.

Classification of Forests:
On the basis of certain common features such as predominant vegetation type and climatic regions,
Indian forests can be divided into the following groups:
· Tropical Evergreen and Semi Evergreen forests.
· Tropical Deciduous forests.
· Tropical Thorn forests.
· Montane forests.
· Littoral and Swamp forests.

Tropical Evergreen Forest:

· Regions: These forests are found in the western slope of the Western Ghats, hills of the north-
eastern region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
· Climatic Conditions: They are found in warm and humid areas with an annual precipitation of over
200 cm and mean annual temperature above 22oC.
· These are well stratified, with layers closer to the ground and are covered with shrubs and creepers,
with short, structured trees followed by tall variety of trees.
· In these forests, trees reach great heights up to 60 m or above.
· There is no definite time for trees to shed their leaves, flowering and fruition. As such these forests
appear green all the year round.
· Tree Species: Rosewood, mahogany, aini, ebony, etc.
NATURAL VEGETATION

Tropical Semi Evergreen Forest:

· Regions: These forests are found in the less rainy parts of evergreen regions.
· These have a mixture of evergreen and moist deciduous trees. The undergrowing climbers provide
an evergreen character to these forests.
· Tree Species: White cedar, hollock and kail etc.
· The British were aware of the economic value of the forests in India; hence, large scale exploitation of

44
 these forests was started.
Ø The oak forests in Garhwal and Kumaon were replaced by pine (chirs) which was needed to lay
railway lines.
Ø Forests were also cleared for introducing plantations of tea, rubber and coffee.
Ø The British also used timber for construction activities as it acts as an insulator of heat.
Ø The protectional use of forests was, thus, replaced by commercial use.

Tropical deciduous forest:

These are the most widespread forests in India and are also called the monsoon forests. They spread
over regions which receive rainfall between 70-200 cm. On the basis of the availability of water, these
forests are further divided into moist and dry deciduous.
· The Moist deciduous forests:
Ø These are more pronounced in the regions which record rainfall between 100-200 cm.
Ø These forests are found in the north-eastern states along the foothills of Himalayas, eastern
slopes of the Western Ghats and Odisha.
Ø Tree Species: Teak, sal, shisham, hurra, mahua, amla, semul, Kusum, and sandalwood.
· Dry deciduous forest:
Ø These forest covers vast areas of the country, where rainfall ranges between 70 -100 cm.
Ø On the wetter margins, it has a transition to the moist deciduous, while on the drier margins to thorn
forests.
Ø These forests are found in rainier areas of the Peninsula and the plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Ø In the higher rainfall regions of the Peninsular plateau and the northern Indian plain, these forests
have a parkland landscape with open stretches in which teak and other trees interspersed with
patches of grass are common.
Ø Characteristics: As the dry season begins, the trees shed their leaves completely and the forest
appears like a vast grassland with naked trees all around.
Ø Tree Species: Tendu, palas, amaltas, bel, khair, axle wood, etc

Tropical Thorn Forest:

· Regions: It grows in areas which receive rainfall less than 50 cm.
· It includes semi-arid areas of south west Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and
Uttar Pradesh.
NATURAL VEGETATION

· In these forests, plants remain leafless for most part of the year and give an expression of scrub
vegetation and it also consists variety of grasses and shrubs.
· Tree Species: Babool, ber, and wild date palm, khair, neem, khejri, palas.
· Tussocky grass grows up to a height of 2 m as the under growth.

Montane Forest:
· In mountainous areas, the decrease in temperature with increasing altitude leads to a corresponding

45
 change in natural vegetation.
· The Himalayan ranges show a succession of vegetation from the tropical to the tundra which change
in with the altitude.
· Mountain forests can be classified into two types namely the northern mountain forests and the
southern mountain forests.

Northern Mountain Forest:

· Deciduous forests are found in the foothills of the Himalayas.
· Wet temperate type of forests between an altitude of 1,000-2,000 m.
Ø These trees found in the higher hill ranges of north-eastern India, hilly areas of West Bengal and
Uttaranchal.
Ø Evergreen broad leaf trees such as oak and chestnut are predominant.
· Pine forests are also well-developed between 1500-1750 m altitude.
Ø Chir Pine is very useful commercial tree.
Ø Deodar, a highly valued endemic species grows mainly in the western part of the Himalayan range.
Deodar is a durable wood mainly used in construction activity.
Ø Similarly, the chinar and the walnut, which sustain the famous Kashmir handicrafts, belong to this
zone.
· Between heights of 2,225-3048 m:
Ø Blue pine and spruce appear.
Ø At many places in this zone, temperate grasslands are also found.
· Between 3000-4000 m:
Ø There is a transition to Alpine forests and pastures.
Ø Silver firs, junipers, pines, birch and rhododendrons, etc are found.
Ø These pastures are used extensively for transhumance by tribes like the Gujjars, the Bakarwals,
the Bhotia's and the Gaddis.
· At higher altitudes, mosses and lichens form part of the tundra vegetation.
· The southern slopes of the Himalayas carry a thicker vegetation cover because of relatively higher
precipitation than the drier north-facing slopes.

Southern Mountain Forests:

· It includes the forests found in three distinct areas of Peninsular India viz; the Western Ghats, the
NATURAL VEGETATION

Vindhyan and the Nilgiris.

· As they are closer to the tropics, and only 1,500 m above the sea level, vegetation is temperate in the
higher regions, and subtropical on the lower regions of the Western Ghats, especially in Kerala, Tamil
Nadu and Karnataka.
· The temperate forests are called Sholas in the Nilgiris, Anaimalai and Palani hills.
· Forest of economic significance include magnolia, laurel, cinchona and wattle.
· Such forests are also found in the Satpura and the Maikal ranges.

46
 Fig. 5.1: Natural Vegetation

Littoral and Swamp Forests:

· India has a rich variety of wetland habitats. About 70 per cent of this comprises areas under paddy
cultivation.
· The total area of wet land is 3.9 million hectares.
· Two sites namely Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur) are protected as
water-fowl habitats under the Convention of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar
NATURAL VEGETATION

Convention).
· The country's wetlands have been grouped into eight categories,
Ø The reservoirs of the Deccan Plateau in the south together with the lagoons and other wetlands of
the southern west coast.
Ø The vast saline expanses of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Gulf of Kachchh.
Ø Freshwater lakes and reservoirs from Gujarat eastwards through Rajasthan (Keoladeo National
Park) and Madhya Pradesh.

47
 Ø The delta wetlands and lagoons of India's east coast (Chilika Lake).
Ø The freshwater marshes of the Gangetic Plain.
Ø The floodplains of the Brahmaputra; the marshes and swamps in the hills of northeast India and the
Himalayan foothills.
Ø The lakes and rivers of the montane region of Kashmir and Ladakh.
Ø The mangrove forest and other wetlands of the island arcs of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Mangroves:
· They grow along the coasts in the salt marshes, tidal creeks, mud flats and estuaries.
· They consist of several salt-tolerant species of plants.
· Crisscrossed by creeks of stagnant water and tidal flows, these forests give shelter to a wide variety of
birds.
· They are highly developed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Sundarbans of West Bengal.
Other areas of significance are the Mahanadi, the Godavari and the Krishna deltas.

Forest Cover in India (Updated):

· The forest area is the area notified and recorded as the forest land irrespective of the existence of
trees. It is based on the records of the State Revenue Department.
· The actual forest cover is the area occupied by forests with canopy. It is based on aerial photographs
and satellite imageries.
· According to the 'Indian State of The Forest Report 2019',
Ø Total forest and tree cover rises to 24.56% of the total geographical area of the country.
Ø Area-wise: Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country followed by Arunachal
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Maharashtra.

NATURAL VEGETATION

Fig. 5.2: Forest Cover in India

48
 Ø In terms of forest cover as percentage of total geographical area, the top five States are Mizoram
(85.41%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%), Meghalaya (76.33%), Manipur (75.46%) and Nagaland
(75.31%).
Ø Mangrove cover has been separately reported in the ISFR 2019 and the total mangrove cover in the
country is 4,975 sq. km. An increase of 54 sq Km in mangrove cover has been observed.
Ø There is 5,188 sq. km increase in total forest cover as compared to 2017 assessment.
o Increase in Forest Cover: 3,976 sq. km
o Increase in Tree Cover: 12,12 sq.km
Ø The top three states showing increase in forest cover are Karnataka (1,025 sq. km) followed by
Andhra Pradesh (990 sq. km) and Kerala (823 sq. km).
Ø Extent of Bamboo: The extent of bamboo area has estimated at 16 million sq. km. There is increase
of 0.32 million sq. km as compared to 2017 ISFR report.
Ø Carbon Stock: In 2019 assessment the total carbon stock in country's forest is estimated 7,124.6
million tonnes. There is an increase of 42.6 million tonnes in the carbon stock of country as
compared to the last assessment of 2017.

Table 5.1: Percentage cover of the forest

Regions Percentage cover of the forest

High Concentration > 40

Medium Concentration 20-40

Low Concentration 10-20

Very Low Concentration 10-20

Forest Conservation:
· Forests have an intricate interrelationship with life and environment. These provide numerous direct
and indirect advantages to our economy and society.
NATURAL VEGETATION

· According to Forest Policy 1988, the Government will emphasise sustainable forest management in
order to conserve and expand forest reserve on the one hand, and to meet the needs of local people on
the other. Following are important policy targets,
Ø Bringing 33 per cent of the geographical areas under forest cover.
Ø Maintaining environmental stability and to restore forests where ecological balance was
disturbed.
Ø Conserving the natural heritage of the country, its biological diversity and genetic pool.

49
 Ø Checks soil erosion, extension of the desert lands and reduction of floods and droughts.
Ø Increasing the forest cover through social forestry and afforestation on degraded land.
Ø Increasing the productivity of forests to make timber, fuel, fodder and food available to rural
population dependant on forests and encourage the substitution of wood.
Ø Creating of a massive people's movement involving women to encourage planting of trees, stop
felling of trees and thus, reduce pressure on the existing forest.

Social forestry
Social forestry means the management and protection of forests and afforestation on barren lands
with the purpose of helping in the environmental, social and rural development. The National
Commission on Agriculture (1976) has classified social forestry into three categories. These are
Urban forestry, Rural forestry and Farm forestry.
· Urban Forestry: It pertains to the raising and management of trees on public and privately
owned lands in and around urban centres such as green belts, parks, roadside avenues, industrial
and commercial green belts, etc.
· Rural Forestry: It lays emphasis on promotion of Agro-forestry and Community forestry.
Ø Agro-Forestry: It is the raising of trees and agriculture crops on the same land inclusive of the
waste patches. It combines forestry with agriculture, thus, altering the simultaneous
production of food, fodder, fuel, timber and fruit.
Ø Community Forestry: It involves the raising of trees on public or community land such as the
village pasture and temple land, roadside, canal bank, strips along railway lines, and schools etc.
o It aims to provide benefits to the community.
o People of landless classes can associate with themselves with tree raising.
· Farm forestry: It is a term applied to the process under which farmers grow trees for commercial
and non-commercial purposes on their farmlands.
Ø Forest departments of various states distribute seedlings of trees free of cost to small and
NATURAL VEGETATION

medium farmers.
Ø Several lands such as the margins of agricultural fields, grasslands and pastures, land around
homes and cow sheds may be used for raising trees under non-commercial farm forestry.

50
 Wildlife:
It is estimated that about 4-5 per cent of all known plant and animal species on the earth are found in India.
There is a considerable threat to the wildlife because of the following reasons:
· Industrial and technological advancement brought about a rapid increase in the exploitation of
forest resources.
· More and more lands were cleared for agriculture, human settlement, roads, mining, reservoirs, etc.
· Pressure on forests mounted due to lopping for fodder and fuelwood and removal of small timber by
the local people.
· Grazing by domestic cattle caused an adverse effect on wildlife and its habitat.
· Hunting was taken up as a sport by the elite and hundreds of wild animals were killed in a single hunt.
Now, commercial poaching is rampant.
· Incidence of forest fire.

Wildlife Conservation in India:

· In 1972, a comprehensive Wildlife Act was enacted, which provides the main legal framework for
conservation and protection of wildlife in India. The two main objectives of the act are.
Ø To provide protection to the endangered species listed in the schedule of the Act.
Ø To provide legal support to the conservation areas of the country classified as National parks,
Sanctuaries, and closed areas.
· For the purpose of effective conservation of flora and fauna, special steps have been initiated by the
Government of India in collaboration with UNESCO's 'Man and Biosphere Programme'.
· Following schemes have been launched to conserve these species and their habitat in a sustainable
manner.
Ø Project Tiger: The main objective of the scheme is to ensure maintenance of viable population of
tigers in India for scientific, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values, and to preserve areas of
biological importance as natural heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people.
Ø Project Elephant: It was launched in 1992 to assist states having free ranging population of wild
elephants. It was aimed at ensuring long-term survival of identified viable population of elephants
in their natural habitat.
Ø Crocodile Breeding Project, Project Hangul and conservation of Himalayan Musk deer have also
been launched by the Government of India.
NATURAL VEGETATION

Biosphere Reserve:
A Biosphere Reserve is a unique and representative ecosystem of terrestrial and coastal areas which are
internationally recognised within the framework of UNESCO's Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
There is total 11 biosphere reserves are recognised under UNESCO'S MAB programme.

51
 Fig. 5.3: Objectives of a Biosphere Reserve

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve:

· This is the first biosphere reserve was established in September 1986.
· It embraces the sanctuary complex of Wayanad, Nagarhole, Bandipore and Mudumalai, the entire
forested hill slopes of Nilambur, the Upper Nilgiri plateau, Silent Valley and the Siruvani hills.
· The total area of the biosphere reserve is around 5,520 sq. km.
· It has unspoilt areas of natural vegetation types with several dry scrubs, dry and moist deciduous,
semievergreen and wet evergreen forests, evergreen sholas, grasslands and swamps.
· It includes the largest known population of two endangered animal species, namely the Nilgiri Tahr
and the Lion-tailed macaque.
· The largest south Indian population of elephant, tiger, gaur, sambar and chital as well as a good
number of endemic and endangered plants are also found in this reserve.
· Its topography is extremely varied.

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve:

· It is situated in Uttarakhand and includes parts of Chamoli, Almora, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar
NATURAL VEGETATION

districts.
· The major forest types of the reserve are temperate.
· Flora: Silver weed and orchids like latifolie and rhododendron.
· Fauna: Snow leopard, black bear, brown bear, musk deer, snowcock, golden eagle and black eagle.
· Major threats: Collection of endangered plants for medicinal use, forest fires and poaching.
Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve:
· It is located in the swampy delta of the river Ganga in West Bengal.

52
 · It extends over a vast area of 9,630 sq. km and consists of mangrove forests, swamps and forested islands.
· Sundarbans is the home of Royal Bengal tigers. The tigers at the park are good swimmers, and they
hunt scarce preys such as chital deer, barking deer, wild pig and even macaques.
· The mangrove forests are characterised by Heritiera fomes, a species valued for its timber.

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve:

· The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 105,000 hectares on the southeast coast of India.
· The biosphere reserve comprises 21 islands with estuaries, beaches, forests of the nearshore
environment, sea grasses, coral reefs, salt marshes and mangroves.
· 3,600 plant and animal species are the globally endangered e.g., Sea cow (Dugong dugon). Besides
six mangrove species, endemic to Peninsular India are also endangered.

S . Biosphere Reserve and Total Date of Location in the States/UT

No. Geographical Area (km2) Designation

1. Nilgiri (5520) 01.08.1986 Part of Wynad, Nagarhole, Bandipur and

Madumalai, Nilambur, Silent Valley and
Siruvani Hills (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and
Karnataka)

2. Nanda Devi (5860.69) 18.01.1988 Part of Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Almora

Districts in Uttarakhand

Nokrek (820) 01.09.1988 Part of East, West and South Garo Hill
3.
Districts in Meghalaya

4. Manas (2837) 14.03.1989 Part of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta,

Nalbari, Kamrup and Darang Districts in Assam

5. Sunderban (9630) 29.03.1989 Part of delta of Ganges and Brahamaputra

river system in West Bengal
NATURAL VEGETATION

6 Gulf of Mannar (10500) 18.02.1989 Indian part of Gulf of Mannar extending

from Rameswaram island in the North to
Kaniyakumari in the South of Tamil Nadu

7 Great Nicobar (885) 06.01.1989 Southernmost island of Andaman and

Nicobar Islands

53
 8. Similipal (4374) 21.06.1994 Part of Mayurbhanj District in Odisha

9. Dibru-Saikhowa (765) 28.07.1997 Part of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia Districts in

Assam

10. Dehang Debang (5111.5) 02.09.1998 Part of Upper Siang, West Siang, and Dibang
Valley Districts in Arunachal Pradesh

11. Pachmarhl (4981.72) 03.03.1999 Part of Betul. Hoshangabad and Chhindwara

Districts in Madhya Pradesh
12. Khangchendzonga 07.02.2000 Part of North and West Districts in Sikkim
(2619.92)

13. Agasthyamalai (3500.36) 12.11.2001 Part of Thirunelveli and Kanyakumari Districts

in Tamil Nadu and Thiruvananthapuram.
Kollam and Pathanmthitta districts in Kerala.

14. Achanakmar- 30.03.2005 Part of Anuppur and Dindori Districts of

Amarkantak (3835.51) Madhya Pradesh and Bilaspur district of
Chhattisgarh

15. Kachchh (12.454) 29.01.2008 Part of Kachchh. Rajkot. Surendranagar and

Patan Districts in Gujarat.

16. Cold Desert (7770) 28.08.2009 Pin Valley National Park and surroundings:
Chandratal and Sarchu and Kibber Wildlife
sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh.

17. Seshachalam (4755.997) 20.09.2010 Seshachalam hill ranges in Eastern Ghatsen

compassing part of Chittoor and Kadapa
Districts in Andhra Pradesh.
18. Panna (2998.98) 25.08.2011 Part of Panna and Chhattarpur Districts in
NATURAL VEGETATION

Madhya Pradesh.
Table 5.2: List of Biosphere Reserves in India

Interesting points
· Generally, an international convention is an agreement among member states of the United Nations.

54
 6 SOILS
Soil is the most important layer of the earth's crust. It is a valuable resource as it supports trees, grasses,
crops and numerous lifeforms over the earth's surface. The bulk of food and clothing is derived from land-
based crops that grow in the soil.

Formation of Soils:
· Soil is the mixture of rock debris and organic materials which develop on the earth's surface.
· The various agents of weathering and gradation have acted upon the parent rock material to produce
a thin layer of soil.
· The major factors affecting the formation of soil are relief, parent material, climate, vegetation and
other life-forms and time.
· Human activities also influence it to a large extent.
· Components of the soil: Mineral particles, humus, water and air.

Layers of Soils:
Soil has three layers of soil which are called horizons. The arrangement of layers is known as the soil profile.
Following are the layers of Soil:
· Horizon A: It is the topmost zone, where organic materials have got incorporated with the mineral
matter, nutrients and water, which are necessary for the growth of plants.
· Horizon B: It is a transition zone between the 'horizon A' and 'horizon C', and contains matter derived
from below as well as from above. It has some organic matter in it, although the mineral matter is
noticeably weathered.
· Horizon C: It is composed of the loose parent material. This layer is the first stage in the soil formation
process and eventually forms the above two layers.
· Underneath these three horizons is the rock which is also known as the parent rock or the bedrock.

Classification of Soils:
India has varied relief features, landforms, climatic realms and vegetation types. These have contributed to
the development of various types of soils in India.
· In ancient times, soils used to be classified into two main groups – Urvara and Usara, which were
fertile and sterile, respectively.
· In the 16th century A.D., soils were classified on the basis of their inherent characteristics and external
features such as texture, colour, slope of land and moisture content in the soil.
· Based on Texture: The main soil types were identified as sandy, clayey, silty and loam, etc.
· Basis of Colour: They were red, yellow, black, etc.
· Soil Survey of India, established in 1956, made comprehensive studies of soils.
· The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has classified the Indian soils on the basis of their
nature and character as per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Soil Taxonomy.
SOILS

55
 S. No. Order Area (in thousand hectares) Percentage

1. Inceptisols 130372.90 39.74

2. Entisols 92131.71 28.08

3. Alfisols 44448.68 13.55

4. Vertisols 27960.00 8.52

5. Aridisols 14069.00 4.28

6. Utisols 8250.00 2.51

7. Mollisols 1320.00 0.40

8. Others 9503.10 2.92

Total 100

Table: 6.1: Soil taxonomy classified by ICAR

Classification of Soil based on Genesis, Colour, Composition and Location:

· Alluvial soils
· Black soils
· Red and Yellow soils
· Laterite soils
· Arid soils
· Saline soils
· Peaty soils
· Forest soils

Alluvial Soils:
· They are widespread in the northern plains and the river valleys and cover about 40 per cent of the
total area of the country.
· They are depositional soils, transported and deposited by rivers and streams.
· Through a narrow corridor in Rajasthan, they extend into the plains of Gujarat.
· In the Peninsular region, they are found in deltas of the east coast and in the river valleys.
· The alluvial soils vary in nature from sandy loam to clay.
· They are generally rich in potash but poor in phosphorous.
SOILS

· In the Upper and Middle Ganga plain, two different types of alluvial soils have developed, viz. Khadar

56
 and Bhangar.
Ø Khadar is the new alluvium and is deposited by floods annually, which enriches the soil by
depositing fine silts.
Ø Bhangar represents a system of older alluvium, deposited away from the flood plains. Both the
Khadar and Bhangar soils contain calcareous concretions (Kankars).
· These soils are loamier and more clayey in the lower and middle Ganga plain and the Brahmaputra
valley.
· The sand content decreases from the west to east.
· The colour varies from light grey to ash grey.
· Its shades depend on the depth of the deposition, the texture of the materials, and the time taken for
attaining maturity.
· Alluvial soils are intensively cultivated.

Black Soil:
· It covers most of the Deccan Plateau which includes parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat,
Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Tamil Nadu.
· In the upper reaches of the Godavari and the Krishna, and the north western part of the Deccan
Plateau, the black soil is very deep.
· These soils are also known as the 'Regur Soil' or the 'Black Cotton Soil'.
· They are generally clayey, deep and impermeable.
· They swell and become sticky when wet and shrink when dried.
· During the dry season, these soils develop wide cracks. Thus, there occurs a kind of 'self-ploughing'.
· Slow absorption and loss of moisture, the black soil retains the moisture for a very long time, which
helps the crops, especially, the rain fed ones, to sustain even during the dry season.
· Chemically, the black soils are rich in lime, iron, magnesia and alumina. They also contain potash. But
they lack in phosphorous, nitrogen and organic matter.
· The colour of the soil ranges from deep black to grey.

Red and Yellow Soil:

· Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern part
of the Deccan Plateau. Along the piedmont zone of the Western Ghat, long stretch of area is occupied
by red loamy soil.
· Yellow and red soils are also found in parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh and in the southern parts of the
middle Ganga plain.
· The soil develops a reddish colour due to a wide diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks.
· It looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.
· The fine-grained red and yellow soils are normally fertile, whereas coarse-grained soils found in dry
upland areas are poor in fertility.
SOILS

· They are generally poor in nitrogen, phosphorous and humus.

57
Laterite Soil:
· Laterite has been derived from the Latin word 'Later' which means brick.
· It develops in areas with high temperature and high rainfall.
· These are the result of intense leaching due to tropical rains. With rain, lime and silica are leached
away, and soils rich in iron oxide and aluminium compound are left behind.
· These soils are poor in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphate and calcium, while iron oxide and
potash are in excess. Hence, laterites are not suitable for cultivation; however, application of manures
and fertilisers are required for making the soils fertile for cultivation.
· Red laterite soils in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are more suitable for tree crops like
cashewnut.
· Laterite soils are widely cut as bricks for use in house construction.
· These soils have mainly developed in the higher areas of the Peninsular plateau.
· The laterite soils are commonly found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and the hilly
areas of Odisha and Assam.

Arid Soils:
· It ranges from red to brown in colour.
· They are generally sandy in structure and saline in nature.
· In some areas, the salt content is so high that common salt is obtained by evaporating the saline water.
· Due to the dry climate, high temperature and accelerated evaporation, they lack moisture and humus.
· Nitrogen is insufficient and the phosphate content is normal.
· Lower horizons of the soil are occupied by 'Kankars' layers because of the increasing calcium content
downwards. The 'Kankars' layer formation in the bottom horizons restricts the infiltration of water, and
as such when irrigation is made available, the soil moisture is readily available for a sustainable plant
growth.
· Arid soils are characteristically developed in western Rajasthan, which exhibit characteristic arid
topography.
· These soils are poor and contain little humus and organic matter.

Saline Soils:
· They are also known as Usara soils.
· They contain a larger proportion of sodium, potassium and magnesium, and thus, they are infertile,
and do not support any vegetative growth.
· They have more salts, largely because of dry climate and poor drainage.
· They occur in arid and semi-arid regions, and in waterlogged and swampy areas.
· Saline soils are more widespread in western Gujarat, deltas of the eastern coast and in Sundarban
areas of West Bengal. In the Rann of Kuchchh, the Southwest Monsoon brings salt particles and
deposits there as a crust.
SOILS

· Seawater intrusions in the deltas promote the occurrence of saline soils.

58
 · In the areas of intensive cultivation with excessive use of irrigation, especially in areas of green
revolution, the fertile alluvial soils are becoming saline.
· Excessive irrigation with dry climatic conditions promotes capillary action, which results in the
deposition of salt on the top layer of the soil. In such areas, especially in Punjab and Haryana, farmers
are advised to add gypsum to solve the problem of salinity in the soil.

Peaty Soil:
· They are found in the areas of heavy rainfall and high humidity, where there is a good growth of
vegetation. Thus, large quantity of dead organic matter accumulates in these areas, and this gives a
rich humus and organic content to the soil. Organic matter in these soils may go even up to 40-50 per
cent.
· These soils are normally heavy and black in colour. At many places, they are alkaline also.
· It occurs widely in the Northern part of Bihar, Southern part of Uttarakhand and the coastal areas of
West Bengal, Odisha and Tamil Nadu.

Forest Soil:
· They are formed in the forest areas where sufficient rainfall is available.
· The soils vary in structure and texture depending on the mountain environment where they are
formed.
Ø They are loamy and silty on valley sides and coarse-grained in the upper slopes.
· In the snow-bound areas of the Himalayas, they experience denudation, and are acidic with low
humus content.
· The soils found in the lower valleys are fertile.

Soil Degradation:
· It can be defined as the decline in soil fertility when the nutritional status declines and depth of the
soil goes down due to erosion and misuse.
· It is the main factor leading to the depleting soil resource base in India.
· The degree of soil degradation varies from place to place according to the topography, wind velocity
and amount of the rainfall.

Soil Erosion:
· The destruction of the soil cover is described as soil erosion.
· The soil forming processes and the erosional processes of running water and wind go on
simultaneously. But there is balance between this two as the rate of removal of fine particles from the
surface is the same as the rate of addition of particles to the soil layer.
· Sometimes, such a balance is disturbed by natural or human factors, leading to a greater rate of
removal of soil.
SOILS

· Wind and water are powerful agents of soil erosion because of their ability to remove soil and
transport it.

59
 Ø Wind Erosion: It is significant in arid and semi-arid regions.
Ø Water Erosion: In regions with heavy rainfall and steep slopes, erosion by running water is more
significant. It takes place mainly in:
o Sheet Erosion: It takes place on level lands after a heavy shower and the soil removal is not easily
noticeable. But it is harmful since it removes the finer and more fertile top soil.
o Gully Erosion: It is common on steep slopes. Gullies deepen with rainfall, cut the agricultural
lands into small fragments, and make them unfit for cultivation. A region with a large number of
deep gullies or ravines is called a badland topography. Ravines are widespread, in the Chambal
basin and are also found in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Reasons for Soil Erosion and Soil Degradation:

· Soil Degradation in Indian Agriculture: The salt lodged in the lower profiles of the soil comes up to the
surface and destroys its fertility. Unless the soil gets enough humus, chemicals harden it and reduce its
fertility in the long run.
· Deforestation effect on soil erosion is more in hilly parts of the country. Plants keep soils bound in locks
of roots, and thus, prevent erosion.
· Over-grazing and shifting cultivation have affected the natural cover of land and given rise to
extensive erosion.

Soil Conservation:
It is a methodology to maintain soil fertility, prevent soil erosion and exhaustion, and improve the
degraded condition of the soil.
Measure for Soil Conservation: Soil erosion is essentially aggravated by faulty practices therefore
following measures can be applied:
· Check open cultivable lands on slopes from farming. Lands with a slope gradient 15-20 percent should
not be used for cultivation. Making terraces can be possible solution on hilly tracks.
· The issue of over grazing and shifting cultivation can be regulated and controlled by educating
villagers about the consequences.
· Contour bunding, Contour terracing, regulated forestry, controlled grazing, cover cropping, mixed farming
and crop rotation are some of the remedial measures which are often adopted to reduce soil erosion.
· Finger gullies can be eliminated by terracing. In bigger gullies, the erosive velocity of water may be
reduced by constructing a series of check dams.
· Special attention should be made to control headward extension of gullies. This can be done by gully
plugging, terracing or by planting cover vegetation.
· In arid and semi-arid areas, efforts should be made to protect cultivable lands from encroachment by
sand dunes through developing shelter belts of trees and Agro-forestry.
· The Central Soil Conservation Board, set up by the Government of India, has prepared a number of
plans for soil conservation in different parts of the country.
Ø These plans are based on the climatic conditions, configuration of land and the social behaviour of
SOILS

people.

60
 NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS
7
Disasters in general and natural disasters in particular, are some such changes that are always disliked and
feared by humankind. Disaster is an undesirable occurrence resulting from forces that are largely outside
human control, strikes quickly with little or no warning, which causes or threatens serious disruption of life
and property.

Natural Hazards:
· These are elements of circumstances in the Natural environment that have the potential to cause
harm to people or property or both.
· These may be swift or permanent aspects of the respective environmental settings like currents in the
oceans, steep slope and unstable structural features in the Himalayas or extreme climatic conditions in
deserts or glaciated areas.

Natural Disaster:
· As compared to natural hazards, natural disasters are relatively sudden and cause large scale,
widespread death, loss of property and disturbance to social systems and life over which people have a
little or no control.
· Any event can be classed as disaster when the magnitude of destruction and damage caused by it is
very high.
· Every disaster is unique in terms of the local socio-environmental factors that control it, the social
response it generates, and the way each social group negotiates with it.

Issues regarding Disasters:

· The magnitude, intensity, frequency and damages caused by natural disasters have increased over the
years.
· There is a growing concern among people the world over to deal with the menace created by these so
that the loss of human life and property can be minimised.
· Significant changes have taken place in the pattern of natural disasters over the years.

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

Classification of Natural Disasters:
Identification and classification of disasters is being considered as an effective and scientific step to deal
promptly and efficiently with the disasters. Broadly, natural disasters can be classified under four
categories.

61
 Table 7.1: Classification of Natural Disasters.

Atmospheric Terrestrial Aquatic Biological

Blizzards Earthquakes Floods Plants and Animals as

colonisers (Locusts, etc.).

Thunderstorms Volcanic Tidal Waves Insect infestation-fungal,

Eruptions bacterial and viral diseases
like bird flu, dengue etc.

Lightning Landslides Ocean Currents

Tornadoes Avalanches Storm Surge

Tropical cyclone Subsidence Tsunami

Drought Soil Erosion

Hailstorms
Frosts, Heatwave, or
Loo, Cold wave etc

Natural Disasters and Hazards in India:

India is vast and diverse in terms of its physical and socio-cultural attributes.

Earthquakes:
· Earthquakes are by far the most unpredictable and highly destructive of all the natural disasters.
NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

· Earthquakes that are of tectonic origin have proved to be the most devastating and their area of
influence is also quite large. It is series of earth movements brought about by a sudden release of
energy during the tectonic activities in the earth's crust.
· Earthquakes associated with volcanic eruption, rock fall, landslides, subsidence, particularly in the
mining areas, impounding of dams and reservoirs, etc. have limited area of influence and the scale of
damage.
· The Indian plate is moving at a speed of one centimetre per year towards the north and north-eastern
direction and this movement of plates is being constantly obstructed by the Eurasian plate from the
north. Both the plates are said to be locked with each other resulting in accumulation of energy at
different points of time.
Ø Excessive accumulation of energy results in building up of stress, which ultimately leads to the

62
 breaking up of the lock and the sudden release of energy causes earthquakes along the Himalayan
arch.
· Most Vulnerable Areas: Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and
the Darjeeling subdivision of West Bengal, and all the seven states of the northeast.
· The earthquake also occur on stable landmasses of peninsular region as energy build-up along the
fault line represented by the river Bhima (Krishna) near Latur and Osmanabad (Maharashtra) and the
possible breaking down of the Indian plate.
Earthquake Zones in India:
National Geophysical Laboratory, Geological Survey of India, Department of Meteorology and National
Institute of Disaster Management divided in following five earthquake zones.
· Very high damage risk zone
· High damage risk zone
· Moderate damage risk zone
· Low damage risk zone
· Very low damage risk zone

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

Figure 7.1: India: Earthquake Hazard Zones.

63
 Out of these, the first two zones had experienced some of the most devastating earthquakes in India.

Very High Damage Risk Zone:

· North-east states, areas to the north of Darbhanga and Araria along the Indo-Nepal border in Bihar,
Uttarakhand, Western Himachal Pradesh (around Dharamshala) and Kashmir Valley in the Himalayan
region and the Kuchchh (Gujarat).

High Damage Risk Zone:

· The remaining parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Northern parts of Punjab,
Eastern parts of Haryana, Delhi, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Northern Bihar.
Most of the areas that can be considered safe are from the stable landmass covered under the Deccan
plateau.

Socio-Environmental Consequences of Earthquakes:

· It becomes a calamity when it strikes the areas of high density of population.
· It robs the population of their material and socio-cultural gains that they have preserved over
generations.
Effects of the Earthquake:
Earthquakes have all encompassing disastrous effects on the area of their occurrence.
· Surface seismic waves produce fissures on the upper layers of the earth's crust through which water
and other volatile materials gush out, inundating the neighbouring areas.
· Earthquakes are also responsible for landslides and often these cause obstructions in the flow of rivers
and channels resulting in the formation of reservoirs.
· Sometimes, rivers also change their course causing floods and other calamities in the affected areas.

Table 7.2: Effects of Earthquakes

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

On Ground On Manmade Structures On Water

Fissures Cracking Waves

Se lements Slidings Hydro-Dynamic Pressure
Landslides Overturning Tsunami
Liquefac on Buckling
Earth Pressure Collapse
Possible Possible Possible
Chain-effects Chain-effects Chain-effects

64
Earthquake Hazard Mitigation:
Unlike other disasters, the damages caused by earthquakes are more devastating. It also destroys most of
the transport and communication links, providing timely relief to the victims becomes difficult. The emphasis
should be on disaster preparedness and mitigation rather than curative measures such as:
· Establishing earthquake monitoring centres (seismological centres) for regular monitoring and fast
dissemination of information among the people in the vulnerable areas.
· Use of Geographical Positioning System (GPS) can be of great help in monitoring the movement of
tectonic plates.
· Preparing a vulnerability map of the country and dissemination of vulnerability risk information among
the people and educating them about the ways and means minimising the adverse impacts of
disasters.
· Modifying the house types and building designs in the vulnerable areas and discouraging construction
of high-rise buildings, large industrial establishments and big urban centres in such areas
· Finally, making it mandatory to adopt earthquake-resistant designs and use light materials in major
construction activities in the vulnerable areas.

Tsunami:
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that cause the seafloor to move abruptly resulting in sudden
displacement of ocean water in the form of high vertical waves are called tsunamis (harbour waves) or
seismic sea waves.
· The seismic waves cause only one instantaneous vertical wave; but, after the initial disturbance, a
series of after waves are created in the water that oscillate between high crest and low trough in order
to restore the water level.
· The speed of wave in the ocean depends upon the depth of water. It is more in the shallow water than
in the ocean deep. As result the impact of tsunami is less over the ocean and more near the coast
where they cause large-scale devastations.
· It is difficult to detect a tsunami in the deeper parts of sea because over deep water the tsunami has

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

very long wavelength and limited wave-height.
· When a tsunami enters shallow water, its wavelength gets reduced and the period remains
unchanged, which increases the wave height. Thus, these are also called Shallow Water Waves.
· Tsunamis are frequently observed along the Pacific ring of fire, particularly along the coast of Alaska,
Japan, Philippines, and other islands of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and
India etc.

Tropical Cyclones:
· Tropical cyclones are intense low-pressure areas confined to the area lying between 30° N and 30° S
latitudes, in the atmosphere around which high velocity winds blow.
· Horizontally, it extends up to 500-1,000 km and vertically from surface to 12-14 km.
· A tropical cyclone or hurricane is like a heat engine that is energised by the release of latent heat on

65
 account of the condensation of moisture that the wind gathers after moving over the oceans and seas.
· Initial conditions for the emergence of a Tropical Cyclone:
Ø Large and continuous supply of warm and moist air that can release enormous latent heat.
Ø Strong Coriolis force that can prevent filling of low pressure at the centre (absence of Coriolis force
near the equator prohibits the formation of tropical cyclone between 0° -5° latitude).
Ø Unstable condition through the troposphere that creates local disturbances around which a
cyclone develops.
Ø Finally, absence of strong vertical wind wedge, which disturbs the vertical transport of latent heat.

Structure of the Tropical Cyclone:

· They are characterised by large pressure gradients.
· The centre of the cyclone is mostly a warm and low-pressure, cloudless core known as eye of the
storm.
· Generally, the isobars are closely placed to each other showing high-pressure gradients. Normally, it
varies between 14-17mb/100 km, but sometimes it can be as high as 60mb/100km.
· Expansion of the wind belt is about 10-150 km from the centre.

Spatial-Temporal distribution of the Tropical Cyclone:

· Owing to its Peninsular shape surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Arabian Sea in the
west, the tropical cyclones in India also originate in these two important locations.
· The cyclones originate between 10°-15° north latitudes during the monsoon season.
· In case of the Bay of Bengal, cyclones mostly develop during the months of October and November.
They originate between 16°-2° N latitudes and to the west of 92° E.

Consequences of Tropical Cyclones:

· In India, the force of the cyclone decreases with increase in distance from the Bay of Bengal and the
Arabian Sea. So, the coastal areas are often struck by severe cyclonic storms with an average velocity
NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

of 180 km/h. Often, this results in abnormal rise in the sea level known as Storm Surge.

Surge: A surge is generated due to interac on of air, sea and land. The cyclone provides the
driving force in the form of very high horizontal pressure-gradient and very strong surface
winds. The sea water flows across the coast along with strong winds and heavy downpour.

· This results in inundation of human settlements, agricultural fields, damaging crops and destruction of
structures created by human beings.

Floods:
Inundation of land and human settlements by the rise of water in the channels and its spill-over presents the
condition of flooding. The causes of floods are well-established.

66
 · They occur commonly when water in the form of surface run-off exceeds the carrying capacity of the
river channels and streams and flows into the neighbouring low-lying flood plains.
· Floods are relatively slow in occurrences and often, occur in well-identified regions and within
expected time in a year.
· Floods can also be caused due to a storm surge (in the coastal areas), high intensity rainfall for a
considerably longer time period, melting of ice and snow, reduction in the infiltration rate and presence
of eroded material in the water due to higher rate of soil erosion.
· Floods in the South, Southeast and East Asian countries, particularly in China, India and Bangladesh,
are frequent and equally disastrous.
· Rastriya Barh Ayog (National Flood Commission) identified 40 million hectares of land as flood-prone
in India.
· High Flood-Prone States: Assam, West Bengal and Bihar.
· The states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, are vulnerable to occasional floods.
· The states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab are also getting inundated in recent decades
due to flash floods.

Spread of Floods by Humans:

Indiscriminate deforestation, unscientific agricultural practices, disturbances along the natural drainage
channels and colonisation of floodplains and river-beds are some of the human activities that play an
important role in increasing the intensity, magnitude and gravity of floods.

Consequence and Control of Floods

Negative Impacts of Floods:
· There is frequent inundation of agricultural land and human settlement and have serious
consequences on the national economy and society.
· Floods destroy valuable crops, damage physical infrastructure such as roads, rails, bridges and human
settlements.

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

· Millions of people are rendered homeless and are also washed down along with their cattle in the
floods.

Positive Aspect of Floods:

· Every year, floods deposit fertile silt over agricultural fields which is good for the crops.
· Majuli (Assam), the largest riverine island in the world, is the best example of good paddy crops after
the annual floods in Brahmaputra.

Solutions:
· Construction of flood protection embankments in the flood-prone areas, construction of dams,
afforestation and discouraging major construction activities in the upper reaches of most of the flood-
creating rivers, etc.

67
 · Removal of human encroachment from the river channels and depopulating the flood plains can be the
other steps.

Droughts:
The term 'drought' is applied to an extended period when there is a shortage of water availability due to
inadequate precipitation, excessive rate of evaporation and over-utilisation of water from the reservoirs and
other storages, including the ground water.

Types of Drought:
· Meteorological Drought: It is a situation when there is a prolonged period of inadequate rainfall
marked with mal distribution of the same over time and space.
· Agricultural Drought: It is also known as soil moisture drought, characterised by low soil moisture that
is necessary to support the crops, thereby resulting in crop failures. Moreover, if an area has more than
30 per cent of its gross cropped area under irrigation, the area is excluded from the drought-prone
category.
· Hydrological Drought: It results when the availability of water in different storages and reservoirs like
aquifers, lakes, reservoirs, etc. falls below what the precipitation can replenish.
· Ecological Drought: When the productivity of a natural ecosystem fails due to shortage of water and
as a consequence of ecological distress, damages are induced in the ecosystem.

Drought Prone Areas in India:

· Nearly 19 per cent of the total geographical area of the country and 12 per cent of its total population
suffer due to drought every year.
· About 30 per cent of the country's total area is identified as drought prone affecting around 50 million
people.

On the basis of severity of droughts, India can be divided into the following regions:
NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

· Extreme Drought Affected Areas: Most parts of Rajasthan, particularly areas to the west of the
Aravali hills, i.e., Marusthali and Kachchh regions of Gujarat fall in this category. The districts like
Jaisalmer and Barmer receive less than 90 mm average annual rainfall.
· Severe Drought Prone Area: Parts of eastern Rajasthan, most parts of Madhya Pradesh, eastern parts
of Maharashtra, interior parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Plateau, northern parts of interior
Tamil Nadu and southern parts of Jharkhand and interior Odisha.
· Moderate Drought Affected Area: Northern parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, southern districts of Uttar
Pradesh, the remaining parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra except Konkan, Jharkhand and Coimbatore
plateau of Tamil Nadu and interior Karnataka.

68
 Figure 7.2: Drought Prone Areas.

Consequences of Drought:
· Cascading Effects: Crop failure leading to scarcity of food grains (akal), fodder (trinkal), inadequate
rainfall, resulting in shortage of water ( jalkal), and often shortage in all the three (trikal) is most
devastating.
· Large-scale death of cattle and other animals, migration of humans and livestock.
· Scarcity of water compels people to consume contaminated water resulting in spread of many

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

waterborne diseases like gastro-enteritis, cholera, hepatitis, etc.

Steps to improve Conditions:

· Provision for the distribution of safe drinking water, medicines for the victims and availability of fodder
and water for the cattle and shifting of the people and their livestock to safer places.
· Identification of ground water potential in the form of aquifers, transfer of river water from the surplus
to the deficit areas, and particularly planning for inter-linking of rivers and construction of reservoirs
and dams, etc. should be given a serious thought.
· Remote sensing and satellite imageries can be useful in identifying the possible river-basins that can
be inter-linked and in identifying the ground water potential.
· Rainwater harvesting can also be an effective method in minimising the effects of drought.

69
 Landslide:
It is the rapid sliding of large mass of bedrocks. Disasters due to landslides, are in general, far less dramatic
than due to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and cyclones but their impact on the natural
environment and national economy is in no way less severe.
· Landslides are largely controlled by highly localised factors.
· The gathering information and monitoring the possibilities of landslide is not only difficult but also
immensely cost-intensive.
· On the basis of past experiences, frequency and certain causal relationships with the controlling
factors like geology, geomorphic agents, slope, land-use, vegetation cover and human activities, India
has been divided into a number of zones.

Landslide Vulnerability Zones:

· Very High Vulnerability Zone: These areas are Highly unstable like, relatively young mountainous
areas in the Himalayas and Andaman and Nicobar, high rainfall regions with steep slopes in the
Western Ghats and Nilgiris, the north-eastern regions, along with areas that experience frequent
ground-shaking due to earthquakes, etc. and areas of intense human activities, particularly those
related to construction of roads, dams, etc.
· High Vulnerability Zone: Areas that have almost similar conditions to those included in the very high
vulnerability zone are also included in this category. The only difference between these two is the
combination, intensity and frequency of the controlling factors. All the Himalayan states and the states
from the north-eastern regions except the plains of Assam are included in the high vulnerability zones.
· Moderate to Low Vulnerability Zone: Areas that receive less precipitation such as Trans-Himalayan
areas of Ladakh and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh), undulated yet stable relief and low precipitation areas in
the Aravali, rain shadow areas in the Western and Eastern Ghats and Deccan plateau also experience
occasional landslides. Landslides due to mining and subsidence are most common in states like
Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu, Goa and Kerala.
NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

Consequences of Landslides:
· They have relatively small and localised area of direct influence, but roadblock, destruction of railway
lines and channel blocking due to rock-falls have far-reaching consequences.
· Diversion of river courses due to landslides can also lead to flood and loss of life and property.

Mitigation:
· It is always advisable to adopt area-specific measures to deal with landslides.
· Restriction on the construction and other developmental activities such as roads and dams, limiting
agriculture to valleys and areas with moderate slopes, and control on the development of large
settlements in the high vulnerability zones, should be enforced.
· Some positive actions like promoting large-scale afforestation programmes and construction of bunds

70
 to reduce the flow of water.
· Terrace farming should be encouraged in the north-eastern hill states where Jhumming (Slash and
Burn/Shifting Cultivation) is still prevalent.

Disaster Management:
· Disasters due to cyclones, unlike the ones caused by earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions are
more predictable in terms of the time and place of their occurrences.
· Construction of cyclone shelters, embankments, dykes, reservoirs and afforestation to reduce the
speed of the winds are some of the steps that can help in minimising the damages.

Steps for Disaster Management:

· All hazards need not turn into disasters since it is difficult to eliminate disasters, particularly natural
disasters. Then the next best option is mitigation and preparedness.
· There are three stages involved in disaster mitigation and management:
Ø Pre-disaster management involves generating data and information about the disasters,
preparing vulnerability zoning maps and spreading awareness among the people about these.
Apart from these, disaster planning, preparedness and preventive measures are other steps that
need to be taken in the vulnerable areas.
Ø During disasters, rescue and relief operations such as evacuation, construction of shelters and
relief camps, supplying of water, food, clothing and medical aids etc. should be done on an
emergency basis.
Ø Post-disaster operations should involve rehabilitation and recovery of victims. It should also
concentrate on capacity building in order to cope up with future disasters.
· Introduction of the Disaster Management Bill, 2005 and establishment of National Institute of Disaster
Management are some examples of the positive steps taken by the Government of India.

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

Interesting points
· The Disaster Management Bill, 2005, defines disaster as a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence
affecting any area, arising from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence which results in
substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of, environment, and is of such nature
or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area.
· Establishment of National Institute of Disaster Management, India, Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, 1993 and Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction was signed in 2015.

71