|
Climate
The climate of the state is tropical
monsoon, but variations exist because
of difference in altitudes. The Himalayan region is cold. The average
temperature varies in the plains from 3-4oC in January to
43-45oC in May and June. There are three distinct seasons - the
cold season from October to February, Summer from March to Mid June and
the rainy season from March to September. The Himalayan region has about
100-200cm of rain fall. The rain fall in the plains is heaviest in the east and
decreases to wards the north-east. Floods are a recurring problem of the state,
causing damage to crops, life
and property. There are occasional cloud-bursts adding to the misery of the
people. The worst floods were in 1971, when 51 of the 54 districts of the state
were affected and the area involved was nearly 52 lakh hectares. The
eastern districts are the most vulnerable to floods, the western districts
slightly less and the central region markedly less. The eastern districts
proneness to floods is ascribed, among other things, to heavy rainfall, low flat
country, high subsoil water level and the silting of beds which causes
river levels to rise. The problem in the western districts is mainly poor drainage caused by the
obstruction of roads, railways, canals, new built-up areas etc. There is water
logging in the large areas. The major flood-prone rivers are the
Ganga, Jamuna ,Gomati ,Ghaghra ,Rapti, Sarda and Ramganga. The inadequate
drainage capacity of the smaller western Sirsa, Kali and the Aligarh drain
is also a cause of floods.
|
