India is a country with vast geographical area, so an uneven distribution of rainfall is found in entire India. The average annual rainfall in India is 110 cm. Regional variation in distribution of rainfall is mainly because of differences in relief of the country.
On the basis of rainfall received, the distribution of rain can be divided into the following parts:
1. Areas of Heavy Rainfall
2. Areas of Moderate Rainfall
3. Areas of Low Rainfall
4. Areas of Scanty Rainfall
1. Areas of Heavy Rainfall: Those areas which receive more than 200 cm of annual rainfall are included in this category. These include western coast and Western Ghats, Sub Himalayas and the North – Eastern parts, i.e. internal areas of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
2. Areas of Moderate Rainfall: These regions receive annual rainfall of 100 – 200 cm. These include West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and the coastal Plains of Tamil Nadu and eastern part of Western Ghats.
3. Areas of Low Rainfall: These regions receive less than 50 cm of annual rainfall. The areas like Ladakh, western Punjab, southern Haryana, western Rajasthan, Kutch and the Desert of Thar are included in these regions.
4. Areas of Inadequate Rainfall: Where annual rainfall is found between 50 – 100 cm, such areas are included in this group. In this group. Madhya Pradesh, North – Western Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Eastern Rajasthan, Southern Punjab, Haryana and South – Western Uttar Pradesh are included.
The characteristics of Indian Rainfall:
1. Immense variation is seen in Indian rainfall. It is in excess in some areas, while in other areas, it is scanty.
2. The rainy season is also uncertain. Sometime it starts very soon and sometime with delay.
3. The nature of rainfall is irregular. It occurs at intervals, due to which the crops get dried up.
4. Indian rainfall influences Indian economy at large.
