Question

“Rainfall in India is orographic in nature”. Give five examples with reference to the distribution of rainfall and the effect of relief of on its distribution.

Answer 1

Rainfall in India is described as orographic in nature because most of it is caused when moist monsoon winds are forced to rise over mountains and hills, cooling and condensing to form rain. This kind of rainfall depends heavily on the relief or physical features of the land.

Here are five examples:

1. Western Ghats: The southwest monsoon winds hit the windward side (west-facing slopes) of the Western Ghats and cause heavy rainfall (e.g., in Mangalore and Goa), while the leeward side (east-facing), like Pune, gets much less rain.
2. Himalayas: The Himalayas block the Bay of Bengal branch of the monsoon, forcing the winds to rise and drop heavy rainfall in the foothill regions like Assam and Uttarakhand.
3. Khasi Hills in Meghalaya: Moist winds from the Bay of Bengal hit these hills directly, causing very heavy rainfall in places like Mawsynram and Cherrapunji.
4. Eastern Slopes of Western Ghats: These lie in the rain shadow and receive low rainfall, e.g., places like Solapur and Bijapur.
5. Aravalli Hills and Rajasthan: Since the Aravalli hills are parallel to the monsoon winds, they do not block the winds effectively, so Rajasthan remains dry.

These examples show how mountains and their position play a big role in where and how much it rains in India.