Abstract:
All living beings need water for survival. One of the basic conditions for life on earth is that the water be available in liquid form. Water serves in many other ways to maintain life, health, vigour and social stability. The agricultural production in the country depends on monsoon. Over our country's land surface of about 329 million hectare, the precipitation generates about 400 million ha m of water in a year. Annual normal precipitation of the country is 116.6 cm with coefficient of variation equal to 30%. During monsoon months (June-Sept.), 770 million ha m of moisture is transported over India from the Arabian Sea and 340 million ha m from the bay of Bengal. During hot weather season (March-May), the Western Himalayas receive good amount of precipitation in association with western disturbances, for example Jammu & Kashmir 24 cm, Himachal Pradesh 19 cm and U.P. hills 13 cm. A Significant fraction of it falls as rain over snow bound areas. Monsoon rainfall (June-September) usually reaches up to foot hills. But occasionally when a depression is passing across, heavy rains are experienced even at high reaches of snow and glacier areas. The rain accompanied with accelerated melt water may cause severe floods.
