there are more salt pans on the western coast of India than its eastern coast
Answers
Arabian Sea lie to the west of India. This sea is located in the tropical belt. Arabian sea is exposed to clear sky and hence bright sunlight. The temperature as well as the rate of evaporation of Arabian Sea is always high. Narmada and Tapi are the only two major rivers of India meet Arabian Sea, which is less as compared to fresh water supply that the Bay of Bengal receive. As a result, the salinity of Arabian Sea is as high as 36%. In comparison, even though the Bay of Bengal is also located in tropical belt, it is surrounded by land on three sides. Sky over the Bay of Bengal is cloudy for most of the day in the year. Cyclones developing in this area also have its effect. Besides, all major rivers of India and Bangladesh namely Ganga, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri and Meghna (i.e. Brahmaputra + Ganga + Padma) empty in Bay of Bengal and provide abundant supply of fresh water. As a result, the salinity of Bay of Bengal is less at 32%, which is almost 4% less than Arabian sea.
With higher temperature and salinity, conditions to develop salt pans along the Arabian Sea are more conducive. Hence, the Western coast of India along Arabian sea has more salt pans than the eastern coast of India along the Bay of Bengal.