An Analytical Study of Long Term Rainfall Variability of Washim (Maharashtra), India Using GIS

Abstract

The study of rainfall variability is very crucial in the tropical country like India where agriculture sector shared 17-18 percent to the country’s GDP. As rainfall having direct relationship with agriculture, change in rainfall patterns reveals direct effects on agricultural production and success or failure of cropping patterns countrywide. Hence, it is obligated to have precise knowledge of rainfall for disaster management, hydrological planning, economic development etc. So, the present study attempts to analyze monthly, seasonal and annual rainfall pattern using data series of 11 years (2007-2017) to get the spatial variability and temporal trends from six sub divisions of Washim, Maharashtra, India. Result shows the mean annual rainfall for the district as 796.96 mm, station wise ranges from 888.8 mm (Washim) as highest to 742.2 mm (Karanja) as lowest during 2007-2017. The month of July and August has proved very good for farmers contributing more to the average annual rainfall of the district. But, significantly high range of rainfall variability is observed in overall parts of the district during the first five months of the year that may result in increase in heating, water scarcity and lowering the ground water level. To cope with this type of agriculture related problems, it is essential to assess in advance the trend of future climatic variability based on past experiences. The present study will help to find out possible reason for the increasing water scarcity and will definitely provide a guideline for the researchers for sustainable development of water resources over all Washim district.