Climate
Temperature:
Bundelkhand
is a hot and semi-humid region. Minimum Temperature varies from around 6 deg C
in Chhatarpur to 12 deg C Maximum Temperature varies from 38 deg to 48 deg C. Banda is one
of the hottest places in India, and several people die of sunstroke here every
year.
Rainfall:
Bundelkhand
gets moderate annual rainfall, ranging from around 750 mm in the northwest, to
1250 mm in the southeast. But precipitation is erratic; a deluge is followed by
long stretches of no rain. Pre-monsoon showers with lighting and hail are
witnessed. Over 95% of the rainfall falls between June and September, with
maximum rain generally in July-August. However, the small amount of rainfall
between Novembers to May is also very important for agriculture in the region.
Rainwater has little time to penetrate the soil. The problem of poor
groundwater recharge is aggravated by the substratum of impermeable rock. Four districts of Bundelkhand - Jalaun,
Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur and Mahoba
- fall under the category of 'drought
prone area', used by the 1981 National Committee on the
Development of Backward Areas.
Natural Challenges: Due to its geology and topography and the pattern
of rainfall received,
Bundelkhand is prone to both drought and flood. In most parts of the entire
region, an impermeable rocky layer is found at fairly shallow depths. Hence
runoff of both rainwater and soil is high. The problem is aggravated by erratic
rainfall and thin forest cover in many districts. Hence, drought or flood hits
some or other part of Bundelkhand every few years. The pattern and extent of
drought and flood in a particular district in last 10 years
According to a report , prepared
by a central government team under the chairmanship of Dr JS Samra, head of the
National Rain fed Area Authority, following visits to Bundelkhand districts in
December 2007 and April 2008, moderate to severe agricultural drought occurred
for two to four years in all the 13 districts of the region.
Hydrological drought was evident from a decline of 15% to 47% in level
of reservoirs in MP Bundelkhand, and 28% to 64% per cent decline in UP
Bundelkhand reservoirs in 2005-2007. The team noted that 70% of the region's
tanks and ponds had dried up there was a steep fall in groundwater levels. Net
sown area in 2007-08 ranged from 15% to 80% of normal, with an average of 60%,
and grain production declined by 22%. While 15% to 20% of the labor migrate
from Bundelkhand after wheat sowing operations, this figure was reported to be
40% in 2007-08, the team noted.
|