Question

Give an account of the distribution of annual rainfall in India.

Answer 1

The average annual rainfall of India is 110 cm. Regional variations in the distribution are found due to differences in relief of the country. Rainfall is unevenly distributed throughout the country. India can be divided into the following rainfall regions:

1. Areas of Heavy Rainfall (more than 200 cm annually):
   • Western Coast: Coastal regions like Kerala, Goa, and Maharashtra receive heavy rainfall due to proximity to the Arabian Sea.
   • Western Ghats: The Windward side, especially Konkani and Malabar, experiences high rainfall due to orographic lifting.
   • Northeast India: States like Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur receive extremely high rainfall. Mawsynram and Cherrapunji in Meghalaya are among the wettest places on Earth.
2. Areas of Moderate Rainfall (100-200 cm annually):
   • West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh experience moderate rainfall.
   • Coastal Tamil Nadu: Receives moderate rainfall from the northeast monsoon (October–December).
3. Areas of Very Little Rainfall (less than 50 cm annually):
   • Western Rajasthan: The Thar Desert receives less than 250 mm of rainfall annually.
   • Jammu and Kashmir: The Leh-Ladakh region receives very little precipitation, mostly in the form of snow.