Give the characteristic and effect of the monsoon rainfall in India.
Answers
Characteristics
1. The climate of India is described as
the 'monsoon' type. Monsoon refers to the seasonal reversal in the wind
direction during the year.
2. The duration of monsoon is between
100-120 days from early June to mid September.
3. Around the time of its arrival, the
normal rainfall increases suddenly and continues constantly for several days.
This is known as 'burst' of the monsoon.
4. The monsoon has a tendency to have
'breaks' that means it has wet and dry spells. Monsoon rains take place only
for a few days at a time.
5. The monsoon is known for its
uncertainties.
Effects of the Monsoon
1. India has been an agricultural
country with more than 50% of its population dependent on agriculture. A
large part of the country's agriculture is mainly dependent upon the monsoon
rains.
2. There is great
variation in the rainfall received by the different parts of the country,
somewhere it leads to floods and its absence in other parts leads to drought
like conditions.
3. The Indian landscape, its animal and plant life, the entire agricultural calendar and the life of the people, including their festivities are associated with the monsoon
Answer:
Main features of the rainfall in India are :
- There is rainfall over three months and the rest of the year is almost dry. Seventy per cent of annual rainfall occurs in the rainy season.
- The rains are mainly of relief type. The windward slopes the mountains get more rainfall than the leeward side.
- Only a small portion of the rainfall is received from sources other than the monsoon, like cyclonic rainfall and convectional rainfall.
- The quantity and the time of occurrence of rainfall cannot be predicted as the rainfall is erratic. It is because of this uncertainty that sometimes there are floods; and sometimes droughts.
- India has an agrarian economy dependent on rainfall. As such rainfall affects the economy of the country.
Explanation: