WESTERN GHATS- SNIPPETSHOTS

 WESTERN GHATS

The Western Ghats or the Western Mountain range is a mountain range that covers an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) in a stretch of 1,600 km (990 mi) parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

•    The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri Hills till 11 ° N

•   The Western Ghats are known as Sahyadri in northern Maharashtra, Sahya Parvatam in Kerala and Nilagiri Malai in Tamil Nadu.

• The subduction of the Arabian basin and the tilting of the peninsula in the east and northeast during the Himalayan uplift generated the Western Ghats.

• As a result, it seems to block mountains in the west, with escarpments and staircase formations on the slope.

• The Western Ghats is one of the world's eight biodiversity hotspots, spanning six states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
• It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the world's eight "hottest hotspots" of biological variety.
• 

• The Western Ghats, according to UNESCO, is older than the Himalayas. They have an impact on Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting rain-laden monsoon winds that blow in from the southwest in late summer.
• It spans all the way from Tapi Valley to Kanyakumari.

 WESTERN GHATS PDF

•  The range starts near south of the Tapti River and runs approximately 1,600 km (990 mi) through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu ending at Marunthuvazh Malai near the southern tip of India.

•          These hills cover 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) and form the catchment area for complex riverine drainage systems that drain almost 40% of India.

  ·         The Western Ghats block the southwest monsoon winds from reaching the Deccan Plateau.

It is divided into three Parts

·         Northern Western Ghats

·         Middle Sahyadri (Central Western Ghats)

·         Southern Western Ghats

        

Northern Western Ghats:  

•    The Northern Western Ghats are found between Tapi Valley and 16° N latitude. It is covered in basaltic lava.
•      Kalsubai is the highest point. Rivers cut through the mountainous terrain.
• The northern Ghats, from Tapi Valley to a little north of Goa, is composed of horizontal sheets of Deccan lavas (Deccan Traps)
• The average elevation of this portion of the Ghats is 1,200 m above mean sea level, however, some peaks reach higher elevations.
• Important peaks include Kalasubai (1,646 m), Salher (1,567 m) around 90 kilometers north of Nashik, Mahabaleshwar (1,438 m), and Harishchandragad (1,424 m). 
•  Thal ghat and Bhor ghat are key passes that connect the Konkan Plains in the west with the Deccan Plateau in the east via road and rail.  

Middle Sahyadri (Central Western Ghats)

·         The Middle Sahyadri range stretches from 16°N latitude to the Nilgiri hills.

·         This section is composed of granites and gneisses.

·         The surrounding region is densely forested.

·         Headward erosion of west-flowing streams has significantly fragmented the western scarp.

·         The average elevation is 1200 meters, although numerous peaks reach 1500 meters.

·         Important peaks are the Vavul Mala (2,339 m), Kudremukh (1,892 m), and Pashpagiri (1,714 m).

·         The Nilgiri Hills, which connect to the Sahyadris around the tri-junction of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, rise suddenly to above 2,000 meters.

·         They are the meeting point of the Western and Eastern Ghats.

·         This area's most notable peaks are Doda Betta (2,637 m) and Makurti (2,554 m).

·         It has a granitic structure and is located in the Central Western Ghats.

·         Mullayanagiri on Baba Budan Hill is Karnataka's highest peak.

·         This segment has developed nick spots as well as waterfalls such as Gersoppa/jog Falls across the Sharavathi River.

·         This portion is distinguished by two separate features: Malnad, which are hills, and Maidan, which are plateau surfaces.

·         The river Kaveri comes from the Brahmagiri Hills, and the lake is known as Talakaveri Lake.

Southern Western Ghats

·         Pal ghat Gap separates the southern half of the Western Ghats from the main Sahyadri range.

·         It's also known as the southern mountain complex.

·         On each side of this chasm, the high ranges end abruptly.

·         A rift valley is Pal ghat Gap. A number of highways and railway lines exploit this gap to connect the plains of Tamil Nadu with the coastal plains of Kerala.

·         The southwest monsoon's moist-bearing clouds can penetrate some distance inland through this gap, delivering rain to the Mysore region.

·         South of the Pal ghat Gap, on both the eastern and western sides of the Ghats, there is a complex system of steep and rough slopes.

·         Anai Mudi (2,695 m) is the highest point in southern India.

·         Anai Mudi is surrounded by three mountains that radiate in opposite directions.

·         The Anaimalai (1800-2000 m) range is to the north, the Palani (900-1,200 m) range is to the northeast, and the Cardamom Hills or Maalaimalar range is to the south.

·         The southern Western Ghats have three parallel ranges to the coast, namely the Nilgiris, Annamalai, and Cardamon ranges, as well as a transverse range, the Palani Palghat gap, which is located between the southern half of the Western Ghats and the main Sahyadri range.

·         These mountains range in elevation from 1600 to 2500 meters.

·         Doddabetta is Nilgiris' tallest mountain.

·         Anamudi is Annamalai and South India's tallest peak.

·         The highest point in the Cardamom Hills is Agasti Malai.

States and Union Territories under the Western Ghats

·         Six states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala—as well as two Union Territories—Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Pondicherry—are home to the mountain region.

·         The range begins near the Gujarati border, south of the Tapti River, where the eastern part of Dadra and Silvassa in D&N is occupied by the foothills of the mountains. It ends at Kerala’s Anamudi peak, almost 1600 kilometres south of where it began.

·         Mahe in Pondicherry is situated on the Malabar coast on the Western Ghats surrounded by Kerala.

 Mountains in the Western Ghats

·         Numerous hill towns, including Matheran, Lonavala-Khandala, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Amboli Ghat, Kudremukh, and Kodagu, may be found in the mountain region.

·         The extreme northern parts of Western Ghats fall in the Dangs district of Gujarat, known for the Dang (Bamboo) forests.

·         The Eastern and Western Ghats converge in Karnataka near Biligirirangan Hills. The highest peak in the mountain region is Anamudi, which is 2,695 metres high. The highest peak in Karnataka is Mullayanagiri, which rises 1,950 metres.

·         They conjoin the Anaimalai Hills to the northwest, the Palni Hills to the northeast and the Agasthyamalai Hills to the south as far as the Ariankavu pass.

·         There are many important passes in the Western Ghats such as Tamhini Ghat, Palakkad Gap, Naneghat, Kasara ghat etc.

·         The short coastal plain between the mountain region and the Arabian Sea is divided into three parts:

§  The Northern part, known as the Konkan Coast,

§  The Centre part, known as Kanara, and

§  The Southern part, known as the Malabar area or the Malabar Coast.

·         The foothill region east of the Ghats in Maharashtra is known as Desh, while the eastern foothills of the central Karnataka state are known as Malenadu.

 Rivers in the Western Ghats

·         Peninsular India is home to 245 million people, most of whom depend on rivers coming from the mountain region for their water supply.

·         The rivers that originate in the Western Ghats and flow towards the west are Periyar, Bharathappuzha, Netravati, Sharavathi, Mandovi etc.

·         The Western Ghats’ westward-flowing rivers move quickly because of their short travel distance and greater grade. Because of this, the Western Ghats are more advantageous for producing hydroelectricity than the Eastern Ghats.

·         The steep gradient makes the Jog Falls on the Shravasthi River in Karnataka one of the most spectacular waterfalls in India.

·         Narmada and Tapti although don’t rise from the Western Ghats but flow westwards.

·         The rivers that originate in the mountain region and flow towards the east include three major rivers viz.  The Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, and many smaller / tributary rivers such as Tunga, Bhadra, Bhima, Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Hemavathi, and Kabini.

·         These east-flowing rivers are comparatively slower moving and eventually merge into larger rivers such as the Kaveri and Krishna.

 

Climate of Western Ghats

·         Due to the mountains’ ability to obstruct rain-bringing westerly monsoon winds, the western side of the Western Ghats receives more rainfall than its eastern side. It, therefore, has a significant impact on the pattern and intensity of India’s monsoonal rainfall.

·         The dense forests also contribute to high orographic precipitation. The climate is humid and tropical in the lower reaches tempered by the proximity to the sea.

·         Elevations of 1,500 m and above in the north and 2,000 m and above in the south have a more temperate climate.

·         Here, the yearly average temperature is close to 15 °C. Some regions frequently get frost, and the winter months have temperatures below freezing. 20 °C in the south to 24 °C in the north are the average temperatures. Additionally, it has been shown that the South Western Ghats’ coldest and wettest seasons are related.

·         During the monsoon season between June and September, the unbroken Western Ghats chain acts as a barrier to the moisture-laden clouds. The heavy, eastward-moving rain-bearing clouds are forced to rise and in the process deposit most of their rain on the windward side. Rainfall in this region averages 3,000–4,000 mm.

·         The eastern region of the mountain region which lies in the rain shadow receives far less rainfall averaging about 1,000 mm bringing the average rainfall figure to 2,500 mm.

 

Vegetation of Western Ghats

·         The vegetation on high hills differs from that on low slopes as well. As a result, the Western Ghats are home to a wide variety of plants.

·         The western slopes have tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests marked predominantly by Rosewood, Mahogany, Cedar etc. These slopes appear green in almost all parts of the year. No time is fixed when these trees would shade their leaves.

·         The eastern slopes of the mountain region have dry as well as moist deciduous forests marked predominantly by Teak, Sal, Shisham, Sandalwood etc. trees.

·         Further, on the northern side of the Wayanad forests; we find dry deciduous forests while on the southern side there are wet deciduous forests. The evergreen Wayanad forests of Kerala mark the transition zone between the northern and southern ecoregions of the mountain regions.

·         The southern ecoregions are generally wetter and more species-rich. South Western Ghats Montane rain forests are the most species-rich ecoregions in peninsular India. 80% of the flowering plant species of the entire Western Ghats range are found in this ecoregion.

·         The areas which are high in elevation are cooler and wetter in the north and so the forests there are called North Western Ghats Montane rain forests. There are montane grasslands as well as stunted forests also in the Western Ghats.

 

Protected Areas in Western Ghats

The Western Ghats is home to India’s two biosphere reserves, 13 National parks, several wildlife sanctuaries and many Reserve Forests.

1.       The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve comprises 5500 km² of the evergreen forests of

§  Nagarahole

§  Deciduous forests of Bandipur National Park

§  Nugu in Karnataka

§  Wayanad

§  Mudumalai National Park in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu forms the largest contiguous protected area in the Western Ghats.

2.       The Silent Valley National Park in Kerala is among the last tracts of virgin tropical evergreen forest in India.

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