CHAPTER TWO
A PROFILE OF THE STUDY AREA
Grapes came to India from the Eastern Mediterranean region through Iran and Afghanistan in the century. But their real development began from 1930 when the first vineyard was developed in the Nashik district of Maharashtra (Bhujabal, 1988, p. 2). Basically grapes are grown in the warm temperate regions but because of the favourable conditions prevailing in certain parts of a tropical country like India, grapes are also grown successfully in our country. Besides, the new agricuhural techniques and the introduction of new and more adaptable seedless varieties have helped in the expansion of areas under viticulture in India. Within the framework of physical environmental conditions required for growing of grapes, certain changes have been made in the technique of growing of grapes in such tropical regions.
Hence it is necessary to study the physical environmental conditions in the context of two aspects: first, the physical environmental conditions for growing of grapes in general and second, the general profile of the region under study namely the Nashik district. As the chief objective of this research project is to present a geographical analysis of grape cultivation in Nashik district, it is first necessary to outline the general profile of the study area. For this purpose the present
chapter is divided into two units: the physical setting and the cultural setting of the district.
2.1 PHYSICAL SETTING OF THE DISTRICT
The physical setting of the district is studied here with respect to
1. Location 2. Geology and Topography
3. Drainage 4. Climate
5. Soil 2.1.1 LOCATION
Nashik district lies in the northern part of Maharashtra State. The district came into existence in 1869 with thirteen tahsils. It occupies an area of 15,582 sq. km and ranks fifth in the
state with respect to area. The district has boundaries of Thane, Dhule, and Jalgaon district in the
14 LOCATION MAP OF NASH IK DISTRICT. West, North and North-east respectively. In the North-West the district borders with the state of Gujarat. There is Aurangabad district in the East, and Amhednagar district in the South.
With average length and breadth of 170 km the district has the following longitudinal and latitudinal extent.
19°35’N. L to 20°52’N. L ■7'4'’ 5-A^ £ .L 73“ 16’ E. L to E=L
(Source: District census Handbook, Nashik district 1981) The thirteen tahsils of the district include Nashik, Peth, Nandgaon, Niphad, Sinnar, Dindori, Surgana, Baglan, Malegaon, Kalvan, Chandwad, Yeola and Igatpuri. Out of these thirteen tahsils eight tahsils are primarily urban and five tahsils of Peth, Dindori, Surgana,
Kalvan and Niphad are generally rural. As a result, the district is classified as urban district in the state. (Fig 2.1)
2.1.2 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY Geologically Nashik district lies in the ‘Deccan Trap’ region of Peninsular India. The
Great Trap region of the Deccan covers the whole district. It is entirely of volcanic formation. The volcanic portion consists of compact, stratified basalt and an earthy trap. The basah are of most conspicuous features. The basalt is either fine textured or it is coarse and nodular. In the western hilly portion of the district, the basalt lies in flat-topped ranges separated by valleys trending from west to east. The absence of laterite which caps the summits of the hills to the south, is a curious feature in the geology of the area (District Gazetteer, 1975, p. 19). The slopes towards west, are steep and lofty. The eastern slope is gradual and with series of steps. The thickness of the trap flows is about 5000’ (1500m). They are uniformly thick having more or less same elevations
A number of hills with forts are found along the border of the district as well as on the range that crosses the district in more or less west-east direction. Locally this range is called
Chandwad-Satmala range. Most of the hills are flat-topped or have a small peak rising out of a table-land. Below this there is a sort of perpendicular scrap rising out of a terrace and usually thickly wooded. In some areas like the hills in the south (Kalasubai) or in the Satmala- Chandwad range the basah is columnar and has weathered into fantastic shapes. These higher trap regions contain quartz in vertical veins, crystals and zeolitic minerals (District Gazetteer, 1883).
15 NASHIK DISTRICT RELIEF The lithological character of the basak varies greatly. In some cases the tabular trap is of fine texture and takes a fair polish, in others it is coarse and nodular. There are certain dyke formations exposed in the riverbed. Some of the valleys that separate the ranges of trap hills are of considerable width, for example, the valley at the head of the Thai pass. Sub-aerial denudation is the main reason for it.
It is therefore believed that the rivers rose much further west and that the broad plains were many miles from the sources of the rivers. So the whole range of Sahayadris was once believed to be a sea cliff The surveys of the portion of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway that passes through the district show that the flows have a slight dip to the east, but to the eye they appear to be horizontal. The tabular strata of hills many miles apart are found to be almost exactly as the same height above the sea. From this it is deduced that these ranges once formed part of an immense plateau (District Gazetteer, 1883). Topographically the Nashik district lies in the Deccan Plateau region of Peninsular India formed entirely of volcanic formation. Broadly the district can be divided into three distinct regions: (Fig 2.2) a. The hilly region
b. The Godavari basin c. The Girna basin a. The Hilly Region -- A part of the Western Ghats called Sahayadris, this region lies in the Western part of the district running mainly in the north-south direction with its offshoots towards east. The general altitude of this region ranges from 900m to 1200m with the higher portion being near the western boundary of the district. Here both the flat- topped and peaked mountains are found; the flat- topped hills predominate in number but not in height. This hilly portion can be further classified into four subregions.
i. The Galan hills and Selbari range
ii. The Satmala-C hand wad range iii. The Trimbak-Anjaneri range
iv. The Kalasubai hills.
i The Galan hills and Selbari Range: In the extreme north of the Nashik district the hills and ranges form the boundary between the Gujarat state in the north-west and Dhule district in the
16 north. These hills and ranges are called Galan Hills and Selbari Range, occupying Kalvan and Baglan tahsils of the district. In the west and the north the altitude reaches upto 1300m while in the east it decreases to 710m which is evident from the height of Galan fort. The highest peaks have the altitude of 1331m and are named Mangi-Tungi. To the east of the peaks lies the Selbari Pass though which road communication between Dhule and Nashik districts is possible. A few kilometers south is located another hill range called Salher-Mulher dongar. This is
separated by the former range by Mosam river. This range is shorter in length but has high peaks which are as high as 1613m. Salher-Mulher range is broken by Kanjari nala with decreasing elevation towards east. Further there are scattered hills named Dholbari hills. These hills have
lower elevation with passes like Dholbari Pass.
ii. The Satmala-Chandwad Ranee: The Satmala-Chandwad range runs across the district in the east- southeasterly direction. It differs from the rest of the mountains in the north by the number and shape of its peaks and by the absence of flat summits. These peaks are visible from nearly every part of the district and form a prominent landmark. The highest of them is Dhodap
(1451m). The others include well known Saptashring (1420), Indrai (1410m) and Chandwad (1217m). Further to the south-east are the twin forts of Anki-Tanki with an altitude of 960m.
This range is highly dissected by the work of large number of streams and their headward erosion (District Gazetteer 1975 p. 4). The major streams include Panjhara, Maniad and their
tributaries. Most of the streams are the tributaries of Girna and Godavari rivers. Satmala- Chandwad range thus forms the major water divide between these two major rivers of the
district. This is also evident from the relief map of the district. This range passes through the tahsils of Chandwad, Dindori, Kalvan, Niphad and Nandgaon.
iii. The Trimbak-Anianeri Range: In the southern part of the district the Trimbak-Anjaneri range stretches towards east from Bhaskargad (1086m). These ranges run through Nashik and Igatpuri tahsils. Important peaks like Harishgad (1113m) and Brahmagiri (1210m) lie in the eastern part.
Trimbak range on its north- eastern side forms an amphitheater-like shape at the base of
which lies the town of Trimbakshwar. The slopes are very steep to form the cliff They can be climbed through a narrow difficult path which reaches upto the source of the river Godavari at an altitude of 4248 feet (1274m).
Anjaneri is a fine mass of trap rock with flat top of considerable area. Further, Anjaneri
extends in the form of three branches resembling ‘Trishul’ (Trident). The average altitude of this
17 region is about 900m. to the south of Anjaneri Trishul, beyond Dama nver and its headwater
streams, there are three radiating ranges that border Vaitama river, to the south-east of Igatpuri town. These form an irregular group of hills, Trimbak-Anjaneri range forms an important water divide between Godavari, Dama and Vaitarna. Out of these three rivers, Vaitama is a west flowing river and Dama is a tributary of Godavari. iv, Kalasubai Hills: On the southern boundary of Nashik district, Kalasubai range stretches eastward. The highest peak of Maharashtra, namely Kalasubai (1646m) lies in this range. The base of the range is in the Nashik district but the summit is in the Amhednagar district. This range slopes down along the course of the Dama river and enters into plain region where Dama joins Godavari.
b. The Godavari Basin - The second geographical region of the district is formed by one of the major rivers of Peninsular India. Godavari is the longest river of Peninsular India that flows through this district. The source and upper course of the river lies in the southern part of the district and forms a district geographical region.
This region lies to the south of Satmala-Chandwad range and located to the east of Sahyadri hills. The river has its source on the high slopes of Trimbak-Anjaneri range 56’ N.
L, 74“ 31’ E.L)A11 the tributaries and streams of the Godavari have considerably eroded the southern part of the district. As a result in south-central and eastern parts of the district broad valleys with considerable alluvial deposits have been formed.
The Godavari basin of the Nashik district can be divided into following subregions- i. The Godavari Valley
ii. The Northern Subregion iii. The Dama Basin iv. The Sinnar Plateau
i. The Godavari Valley: This subregion comprises the source region and further passes through Nashik and Niphad tahsils. It is the zone of high fertility which increases towards east,
ii The Northem Subregion: The second subregion of the Godavari basin comprises of the
southern slopes of Satmala- Chandwad range. It includes Dindori, Chandwad and Yeola tahsils
18 of the district. The region is drained by north bank streams of Godavari. Banganga and Kadwa are the two major streams of this region. The region is undulating iii. The Darna Basin: This subregion includes Darna and its tributaries that mainly drain whole of Igatpuri tahsil. The region is hilly with steep slopes and narrow valleys. iv. The Sinnar Plateau: The last and the southern most subregion of the Godavari basin is Sinnar plateau. The plateau is undulating with rough slopes. The rainfall here is very uncertain and low.
c. The Girna Basin: The third geographical region of the study area is the Gima basin. It is bounded by the Sahyadri hills in the west, Satmala-Chandwad range in the south and Galan- Selbari range in the north
2.1.3 DRAINAGE Availability of water, especially for agriculture, mainly depends on the streams and the rivers that drain the region. Besides the amount of water available in the rivers and streams is determined by the amount of rainfall. Development of river projects also depends upon the rivers. Grape cultivation largely depends upon irrigation. Hence it is necessary to study the drainage of the study area
The topographical maps and their study shows that the drainage of the district can be divided into three broad regions (Fig 2.3): 1. The Godavari and its tributaries 2. The Gima and its tributaries 3. The west flowing Konkan rivers.
The hill ranges in the district act as water divide separating the above regions. The
Satmala-Chandwad range acts as a water divide between Godavari and Girna river basins while
Sahyadri hills in the west act as water divide between west flowing and east flowing rivers of the district. The rocks in these hilly regions have developed three sets of master joints, running in the following direction - i. North-south strike direction ii. North-west-South-east direction
19 iii North-north-east and South-west direction. The streams of the region have taken advantage of these planes of weaknesses in carving their valleys (Aruchalam, 1964 P 12) 1. Godavari and its tributaries - Godavari and its tributaries drain the district to the south of Satmala-C hand wad range and occupies a large area than Girna basin. In the south, it is bounded by Kalasubai range. As the drainage map indicates, most of the tributaries of Godavari come from the Satmala-Chandwad range along the north bank of the river. There are a few important streams in the south also. The average altitude of the basin is about 1000 m in the west and south while towards east and north east it is less and reaches upto 300 m. Nashik, Dindori, Niphad,
Sinnar and Yeola tahsils are drained by these rivers. i. Godavari - Godavari is the most important river not only of the district but also the whole of the Peninsular India. Out of its total length of 1465 Km only 111 Km, i.e. 7.6% of length, lies in the Nashik district. It is the longest river of Maharashtra and has its source near Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district. From the base of the escarpment appearing on the eastern face of the Sahyadri hills, as a result of headward erosion of the river upto Nashik, there is no perceptible slope and its broad-flat valley appears a trickle (Dixit, 1985, p. 26). Godavari also appears graded to its source. From Nashik the river flows in east-southeasterly direction. A characteristic feature of
Godavari is its deep channel enclosed between its banks which are more like embankments, and the narrow alluvial flood plain. In areas not far from the Sahyadri hills the valley in general has witnessed enormous sedimentation. The sediments derived from the weathering in the heavy rainfall areas of the mountains are brought by the tributaries over a steep gradient and dumped into the river which with a lower competence finds difficult to absorb and transport it further despite a heavy discharge. This explains the enormous sediments in the right bank tributaries of
Godavari close to the confluence (Dixit. r585, p. 27-28). As a result soils are comparatively good and fertile. Agriculturally, the region is rich even though it is the upper course of the river. ii. Dama - Dama rises in the Kalasubai range in the southern part of the district. The source lies
13 Km south-east of Igatpuri. The bed is for most part wide and sandy. The length of the river is around 80 Km draining Igatpuri, Nashik and Niphad tahsils, Alvanadnadi and Pimpari nadi are the tributaries of Darna. A dam is constructed on this river near Nandgaon village giving rise to a storage lake called Lake Bill. On the left bank of the tributaries that join Dama include Unduhol, Vaki, Valdevi and Dev.
20 iii. Kadwa - Kadwa is one of the most important tributaries of Godavari flowing from the north. It rises in the Satmala range in Dindori tahsil. The riverbed and banks both are rocky but the bed is wide. Irrigation works of considerable importance have been established on a number of streams that have their sources in Satmalas and these flow southward to join Kadwa. These streams drain Chandwad, Niphad and Dindori tahsils. The total length of the river is 74 Km, out of which larger part lies in hilly areas of Dindori and Chandwad tahsils. But in Niphad the river is significant, as a major source of irrigation. Kadwa joins Godavari near Niphad town where sedimentation near and along the confluence has given rise to productive fertile soil. Cash crops like sugarcane, grapes and onions are possible due to irrigation facilities and fertile soil of this region. iv. Kashvapi - The Kashyapi or the Kas rises in the Sahyadri hills little above Waghira village in Nashik tahsil. Near the source itself two streams named Wotki and Muli join Kashyapi. Just at the confluence of Kashyapi and Godavari, a dam is constructed near Gangapur village and is called by the same name. It is one of the oldest earthen dams in the district that provides water for irrigation through left and right bank canals that irrigate Nashik, Niphad, and Yeola tahsils. v. Banganga - Among the north bank tributaries the Banganga rises a little to the north west of Ramsej hill and flows in an easterly direction. Near Ozarkhed a dam is constructed to divert the water into canals both the sides for irrigation. After passing Sukene, it joins Godavari.
2. The Girna and its tributaries - The northern part of the Nashik district is drained by river
Girna and its tributaries. The river basin is bounded on the south by the Satmala-Chanwad range and in the north by Galan hills. The important tributaries of Girna includes Tambadi, Aram. Maosam, Panjhara, Punand and Maniad i. Girna - Girna is the most impoiu . tributary of Tapi river. It rises just south of Cherai village at about 8 Km south west of Hatgad in the Sahyadri hills and flows nearly east along a wide bed with high banks in some part and low enough to use the waterfall irrigation. This river in its upper course receives several streams of neariy equal size and equally useful for irrigation The topography is rugged and undulating. Rainfall is heavier in the west and decreases towards east. The length of the river is 144 Km, it drains Surgana, Kalwan, Baglan and Maiegaon tahsils The north bank tributaries of the Girna are Tambadi, Punand, Aram and Maosam that drain the northern part of the basin. The south bank tributaries are comparatively small but are more useful which mainly includes Panjhara and Maniad. ii. Tambadi - The first considerable stream that joins Girna on the left bank is Tambadi. This river also rises in Sahyadri hills to the north of Hatgad and joins Girna at Chankapur. Just below the confluence a dam is constructed across the river, due to which irrigation is now available as far as Ravalgaon in Malegaon tahsil,
iii. Punand - Another tributary stream of Girna is Punand. This river rises in the range west of Salher fort and has a long winding course. It joins the Girna at Bej, The valley of Punand is deep and rocky.
iv. Aram - This is the important tributary of Girna. The river rises to the south of Salher fort in
Dholbari range. The river flows in a southerly direction and then turns eastwards to pass near Satana town and further continues till it joins Girna. The river valley is wide enough with low banks, hence it is useful for irrigation. It joins the Girna five kilometers east of Thengode in
Baglan tahsil. v. Mosam - This is the northern most tributary of the Girna. The headwater stream of this river lies in the Sahyadri hills through Mulher, Tarahabad and Jayakheda. It is joined by a number of affluent streams. Mosam also has cut a wide valley, so it is used for irrigation on a large scale. It
joins the Girna about three kilometers below Malegaon,
vi. Panjhara - This is one of the south bank tributaries of the Girna It rises to the east of Chandwad fort on the southern slopes of the Satmala-Chandwad range. The riverbanks are high and hence they are not useful for irrigation. This is because the river is able to cut across the Satmala watershed. Headwater is much more active as the Girna basin has much lower base level
than the Godavari, It drains the Girna to the east of Malegaon near the border of the district. vii. Maniad - This river rises in the Satamala range near Ankai-Tankai hills. It has a deep,
narrow valley with high banks due to which it is not much suitable for irrigation. It has a length of only 48 Km and drains Nandgaon tahsil only. Most of the course of the river lies in rain-
shadow area resulting into drought prone region of the district. As a result it is agriculturally a poor region. The river joins the Girna near Chalisgaon in Jalgaon district.
3. The West Flowing Konkan Rivers - The western part of the district is drained by a number
of small rivers and streams that flow westwards to join the Arabian sea. These rivers have
22 '• , winding course with deep valleys, gorges and waterfalls. Damanganga and Vaitarna are the two major rivers in this region i. Damanganga - Damanganga rises in the hilly area of Sahyadri hills in Peth tahsil of the district. The river flows through a deep ravine over rocky and winding beds. The banks are steep and well wooded and little or no use is possible of this river for irrigation. It joins the Arabian Sea at Daman. ii. Vaitarna - This river rises south-west of the Trimbak fort. It drains a small portion of the district. The river has cut a remarkably deep channel through the Sahyadri hills. The total length of the river is 144 Km and it joins the Arabian sea to the north of Vasai (Bassein) in Thana district. A dam is constructed to provide drinking water to Bombay and is not useful for irrigation.
2.1.4 CLIMATE India is a tropical country with monsoon type of climate, Nashik district also has the same climate with certain amount of variations in weather conditions. The climate varie; considerably in different parts of the district. The extremes of heat and cold are greater towards eastern parts of the district. For a short period, every year, extreme cold especially in December-
January and extreme heat in April are experienced. The climate of this district is also characterised by dryness except in the south-west monsoon season (Dist. Gazetteer, 1975, p. 20).
In a broadway, climate limits the expansion of area under grapes in the district and similarly quality and quantity of grapes are also controlled by weather conditions. Hence it is necessary to study the climatic conditions in the district in detail.
Temperature - There are two meteorological stations in Nashik district. One is at district headquarter of Nashik and another is at Malegaon. Besides these, Ozar (mig) in Niphad tahsil being an Air Force station also has weather station. The records of these three stations may be taken as representative of the climatic conditions for the district. Out of these three centres,
Nashik is located in the south central part of the district while Malegaon is located in the north eastern part of the district. Ozar is located in between Nashik and Malegaon but it is closer to Nashik than to Malegaon. (Fig 2.4)
23 TABLE NO. 2 1 TEMPERATURE. MEAN MONTHLY, MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM (IN DEGREE CELCIUS)
MONTH NASHIK OZAR MALEGAON
MEAN MEAN MEAN MEAN MEAN MEAN MEAN MEAN MEAN MAX MIN MAX MIN MAX MIN
JAN 29.3 8.1 18.7 28.5 8.9 18,7 31,0 6.5 18,8
FEB 33.1 10.9 22.0 31.8 12,1 22,0 36,0 10,0 23.0
MAR 37.0 14.7 25.9 35.6 15.6 25,6 42.5 13.0 27.8
APR 38.3 18.4 28.4 37.1 18,Q 28,0 40.5 17.5 29,0
MAY 38.5 22.2 30.4 38.5 22,2 30,4 41.0 18.0 29,5
JUNE 34.2 21.9 28.1 33.1 22,1 27,6 37.5 20.0 28,8
JULY 37.8 20.4 29.1 27.9 22,0 25,0 32.5 20.0 26,3
AUG 28.0 19.5 23.6 27.2 21,0 24,1 27.5 21.0 24,3
SEPT 30.8 18.7 24.8 30.5 21,0 25,8 33.0 20.0 26,5
OCT 33.8 14.6 24.2 33.9 16,2 25,1 37.5 11.0 24,3
NOV 29,9 12.6 21.3 31.0 14,5 22,8 35.0 9.0 22,0
DEC 28.2 7.5 17.9 28.7 9,0 18,9 32.0 6,5 19,3
ANNUAL 38.5 7.5 38.5 8,9 42.5 6,5
(Source: District Statistical Abstract, 1992)
24 TEMPERATURE: MEAN MONTHLY, MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURE (IN DEGREE CELCIUS)
MEAN MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURE - NASHIK
150 •
10 0 • X
5 0 • MEAN MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURE - MALEGAON
150 •
10 0 •
50 - MEAN MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM 0 0 ------TEMPERATURE- OZAR
FIG. TEMPERATURE; MEAN MONTHLY TEMPERATURE, NASHIK, OZAR(M). MALEGAON
35.0
Hi 15.0
10.0
■— NASHIK - OZAR MALEGAON 5.0
0.0 JFMAMJ JASON D' MONTHS
FK3 2.5 Regarding temperature changes in the district the table 2.1 and the graph (Fig. 2.5) show that temperature begins to rise rapidly from later half of February. May is the hottest month with mean maximum daily temperature at 40^* C. at Malegaon and Nashik. At Ozar it is slightly less. The heat is intense with very low humidity and sometimes the maximum temperature goes above 40“ C during this period. Especially the interior parts of the district experience extreme heat. In June with arrival of the south-west monsoon the day temperature decreases appreciably but night temperatures are still high. Further in the months of July, August and September due to high humidity, cloudy skies, temperature is around 34" C. Early in October the south-west monsoon withdraws from the district. As a resuh, clear skies, calm weather, decreasing humidity give rise to sudden increase in day temperature. From November, temperature begins to decrease December is the coldest month with mean minimum temperature at 7.5" C at Malegaon and 9" C at Ozar. The important feature of night temperatures during this period is that they are much less, decreasing to 2" C to 4" C. This may be due to the cool air that drains down the hill slopes and settles down in the Godavari and Girna basins during the late night. Secondly in association with the western disturbances which move across North India in the winter season, cold waves arrives and pass over North Maharashtra and thereby influence Nashik district. In some areas minimum temperature even drops to freezing point and frost occurs sometimes early in the morning. Such conditions, even if they last for a short time, affect the crops badly. During this period, as grapes berries are in their early stages, the loss of such vines means loss of future crop of the main season.
The field survey in January 199las well as January 1993 showed that at Kundewadi, Ugaon and Pimpalgaon Baswant in Niphad tahsil, temperature dropped below 0“ C on the 1* and
4"^’ January, respectively and vineyards were badly affected within few hours of minimum temperature. Leaves and cane turn yellow- brown due to extreme cold. Hence care has to be taken to protect the crop from such damages. Local farmers use certain very simple but effective measures if they are informed in advance. Weather forecasting during this period is of utmost importance for grape growers. Some well-established farmers have kept thermometers in their vineyards to keep a watch on decreasing temperature. This indicates that low temperatures are more harmful for this crop because they occur during the period of the main crop Rainfall - Records of rainfall in the district are available for fifteen stations. The general distribution of rainfall shows that rainfall is heavier in the western part of the district and it decreases towards east.
TABLE 2.2: NORMAL RAINFALL, AVERAGE NO. OF RAINY DAYS, RAINFALL AND RAINY DAYS IN 1991
STATION NORMAL RAINFALL AVERAGE NO. RAINY DAY RAINFALL mm mm. 1991 OF RAINY DAYS IN 1991
Nashik 698 829 54 110
Niphad 549 479.4 46 41
Pimpalgaon (B) 630 471.3 44 40
Yeola 555 466 42 44 Somthan 486 475 45.5 43 Kolegaon Mai 645 610 41.5 40
Nandgaon 585 609 45 38 Malegaon 542 456 42 27
Dindori 753 639 64 86
Surgana 1863 1631.0 96 83 Bolthan 686 600 44 40 Kalvan 692 465.0 53.5 45
Satana 477 521.5 42 32 Ozar 633 610 45 41
Sinnar 557 586 4 48 61 Igatpuri 3341 3175.6 111.5 107 Peth 2351 3084.3 98.5 83 Chandor 645 567 55.5 39
Trimbak 2460 2105 105.5 100
Annual 1035 977.9 54.5 57.9
(Source: District Statistical Abstract - 1992)
26
The isohyet map (Fig 2.6) and the relief map of the district indicate that distribution of rainfall is closely related to the topography of the district. In the western hilly region, the rainfall is above 2000mm as indicated by the rainfall figures of Igatpuri. Surgana, Trimbak and Peth while towards east it decreases upto 500mm or even less in certain sections as shown by Satana, Yeola and Somthan. In the western hilly section rainfall is higher in the southern part than in the northern part. The normal rainfall figures at Surgana and Peth show that they receive normal rainfall of ^^*^mm to 2630mm respectively. These two places are located in the northern part while Igatpuri which is located in the south gets 3300mm of rainfall. The isohyet map also shows clearly that large part of the district receives between 550mm and 1050mm of rainfall. Grapes require on an average 750mm of annual rainfall for their growth (Gole, 1915, p. 12). In the context of grape cultivation in Nashik district this zone of 550mm to 1050mm is of utmost importance. The table given below shows the monthly distribution of rainfall in Nashik district for 1991. The table reveals that 88% of the annual rainfall in the district is received during the period of southwest monsoon from June to September. July is the rainiest month. During pre-monsoon and post-monsoon months of April-May and October-November respectively some rainfall occurs. In both these periods grapevines are pruned, this is called April pruning and October pruning. High humidity and rains in these months help healthy growth of vines. The above table also shows that the tahsils like Surgana, Peth, Igatpuri which receive heavy rainfall in the district get their rainfall only in the period of four months meaning thereby that the rest of the year, i.e for eight months, there are no rains. The remaining tahsils show that their rainfall is distributed from April to November Thus, for the entire period from December to March there are no rains and the weather is dry. This is the period of fruiting and ripening of grapes in the district. As a result of these weather conditions area under grape cultivation is concentrated in ten tahsils that are located in central and eastern part of the district.
27 t a b l e 23: NORMAL RAINFALL m o n th ly distribution C / W I n n m j
Station M M J J o N D Annual
Nashik 0.8 2.0 7.1 21.8 118.6 202.0 127.0 127.0 62.0 20.8 5.1 698
Peth 2.3 0.5 2.5 20.6 273.3 977.1 653.3 313.7 82.3 19.8 4.1 2351.6
Dindori 0.8 2.0 7.9 20.1 116.8 241.5 148.3 130.3 52.8 25.4 4.1 753.0
Surgana 0.1 1.0 3.9 20.8 158.8 712.2 550.4 331.1 63.0 13.0 8.7 1863.1
Kalvan 3.1 2.0 6.3 17.3 119.4 200.4 119.4 134.4 51.3 32.8 4.3 692.0
Baglan 4.1 1.8 3.8 13.2 99.3 100.3 67.6 118.4 35.8 28.7 3.3 477.0
Malegaon 4.6 2.0 3.3 17.8 110.5 115.1 73.7 142.0 37.9 27.9 4.6 542.5
Chandwad 4.3 3.6 4.1 24.1 118.4 150.6 98.0 149.6 52.6 33.3 5.1 645.0
Nandgaon 6.3 2.5 4.1 15.0 120.9 105.2 82.5 160.3 48.8 32.0 5.1 585.0
Yeola 5.1 3.3 3.6 18.3 124.7 104.0 77.0 135.4 45.2 32.0 4.8 555.0
Niphad 4.1 0.8 1.5 4.1 21.1 99.6 119.4 83.8 131.3 51.1 26.7 5.3 549.0
Sinnar 3.1 1.0 1.5 7.4 16.3 86.6 128.8 85.3 137.4 56.1 30.2 3.3 557.0
Igatpuri 2.8 1.0 0.8 8.9 21.3 463.8 1334.2 921.0 441.7 118.1 25.1 2.8 3341.6
District 4.3 1.7 1.7 5.4 18.6 158.3 341.6 227.5 184.0 59.1 28.0 4.5 1035.0
(Source; District Statistical Abstract: 1992)
Humidity and Rainy Days - In Nashik district relative humidity is low except for the period of south-west monsoon season. In general humidity is high towards west as compared to humidity in central and eastern part of the district. This may be due to the fact that area under forest is high, altitude is also more and the region is nearer the coast than the rest of the district. The number of rainy days show variation from west to east. The average number of rainy days of the district are 54.5 but in the western part they are more upto 95 to 111.5 days while over the central and eastern parts they range from 42 at Yeola, Malegaon and Satana to 48 at Sinnar. In
28 2.2.1 GENERAL LAND USE The utilization of land for different purposes shows the relationship between the surrounding conditions of the region and the people of that region. The physical attributes of an area become resources only when the people are able to use them (Sigh, 1974). Therefore A. efficient use of land depends on the capacity of man in a particular region. The study region mainly has agrarian population. More than 60% of the total population is engaged in agriculture.
Hence it is essential to study the land use pattern of the district. For this purpose the total geographical area of the district is divided into following major landuse types: 1. Area under forest
2 Area not available for cultivation 3 Fallow land 4 Netsown area
5 Gross cropped area
Taking 1961- 62 as the base year, percentage of geographical area is calculated for the above mentioned types of landuse. For this purpose decadal changes from 1961- 62 to 1991-92 are taken into account
32 TABLE 2 4: GENERAL LAND USE IN NASHIK DISTRICT 1961- 62 TO 1991-92 % OF GEOGRAPHICAL AREA OF THE DISTRICT
LAND YEAR AVERAGE UTILIZATION 61-62 TO 1961-62 1971- 72 1981-82 1991-92 91- 92
FOREST 21.7 20.2 22.5 20.7 21,3
AREA NOT AVAILABLE 11.9 11.6 10.2 8.3 10,5 FOR CULTIVATION
FALLOW LAND 3.6 8,7 7.1 8.3 69
NET SOWN AREA 58.0 55.0 55.0 55.0 55,7
GROSS CROPPED AREA 62.0 58,0 58.4 57.8 59,0
% of Gross Cropped Area
FOOD CROPS 79.6 70.4 85.0 75.8 77,5
%1 of Net Sown Area
INIENSITY OF CROPPING 107.0 105,6 106.0 105.0 105.9
INTENSITY OF IRRIGATION 1.9 9,2 9.3 14.5 8.7
(Source: Compiled by the author)
From the above table and the distributional maps the study area show following changes from 1961- 62 to 1991-92.
33 TABLE NO 2 5 GENERAL LAND USE; NASHIK DISTRICT YEAR 1961-62
I'AHSIL % OF TOTAL GEOGRAPHICAL AREA % OF G.C.A GRAPE CROPPING IRRIG NOT %IN INIEN- ATION FOREST AVIL FALLOW NET GROSS FOOD FR uns FRUTTS SFTY INTEN- FOR LAND SOWN CROPPED CROPS SFTY CULTl
Nashik 13.8 18.7 10.5 51,2 53.4 77.8 0.98 29.6 104.3 5.7 Peth 49.5 5.5 2,6 35,2 32.2 82.2 — 00 100.0 — Dindori 16.3 8.6 6,8 6.7 63.9 76.8 0.45 29.0 105.2 4.3 Surgana 53.1 3.0 — 37.3 40.4 69.0 — 00 108.3 — Kalvan 33.0 12.2 2.4 44.5 52.1 84.0 0.03 00 117.1 3.5 Baglan 29.7 10.6 3,2 15.5 56.7 79,5 0.06 00 110,0 5.0 Malegaon 20.5 12.7 2,2 61.4 66.6 77.8 0.05 00 118.5 7.0 Chandwad 10.1 13.3 2,8 68.4 71.8 78.9 0.17 39.8 104.8 5.1 Nandgaon 24.1 14.5 3,0 55.0 58.5 83.1 0.10 9.3 106.3 2.5 Yeola 10.1 4.8 1.3 74.5 8 09 82.2 0.08 10.2 108.6 3.7 Nip had 1.0 9.4 1.4 83.0 90.6 80.2 0.34 62.8 109.1 10.6 Sinnar 10.5 11.3 2.6 71.8 74.3 84.8 0.11 13.1 103.5 5.4 Igatpuri 21.3 12.2 7.3 52.2 53.3 71.2 — 00 102.2 —
District 21.7 10.9 3.6 58.0 62.0 79.6 0.19 31.0 107.0 4.8 Total
YEAR: 1971 - 72
Nashik 14.0 18.7 9.5 51.9 54.1 59.0 7.3 4.0 104.3 16.6 Peth 49.5 5.5 10.3 34.5 34.5 86.0 00 00 100.0 — Dindori 19.3 8,5 15,0 55.0 57.2 56.5 6.8 2.0 104.0 6.9 Surgana 53.1 3.0 6.1 37,0 37.0 75.6 00 00 99.9 — Kalvan 32.9 12.2 6.6 46.8 50.0 80.2 2.5 0.06 106.9 10.7 Baglan 29.6 12.0 7.3 48.5 53.3 62.8 1.2 00 71.7 10„6 Malegaon 20.1 14.2 11.4 51.8 57.7 75.9 2.0 0,21 117.4 8.0 Chandwad 10.2 13.4 14.1 61.1 64.4 78.1 3.7 1.0 105.4 8.9 Nandgaon 10.0 14.8 7.8 50.7 52.2 81.4 1.1 0,30 102.8 4.8 Yeola 10.0 8,8 4,3 75.1 75.9 51.7 1,6 0,15 100.9 4.4 Niphad 1.0 8,2 6.7 80.9 86.1 73.0 5,5 3.4 106.3 24.3 Sinnar 9.9 13,5 4.6 68.5 70,2 83.4 2,7 0.65 102.6 9.8 Igatpuri 10 12,3 6,6 51.5 51,8 61.7 00 00 100.5 —
District 20.2 11,6 8,7 55.0 58.0 70.4 3,0 2.0 105.6 9.2 Total
(Source: Compiled by the Author)
34 (Source: District Statistical Abstracts for 81- 82, 91- 92) TABLE NO. 2.6 GENERAL LAND USE NASHIK DISTRICT YEAR 1981-82
TAHSIl, % OF TOTAL GECXIRAPHICAL ARIriA % TO G,C,A c;rape CROPPINC IRRIG - NOT % IN IN’FEN - ATION FOREST AVIL FALLOW NET (tROSS FOOD FRUFTS FRUFTS SFFY IN'FEN- FOR LANIO SOWN CROPPED CROPS SFFY CULTI 7< Nashik 13.8 15,5 18.0 43,9 47,8 69.0 9.2 7,4 108,6 8.9 Peth 48.9 5.5 13.3 32,9 33,0 92,0 — 00 00,0 --- Dindori 16.4 8.6 3.6 56,6 57,8 38,5 6.0 5,4 14,0 6,3 Surgana 53.2 2.9 5.0 36,9 37.0 84,1 — 00 10,3 --- Kalvan 32.9 11,5 7.4 44,0 47,7 89,8 2.5 0,20 1085 4,1 Baglan 29.0 12,1 4.8 50,7 53.9 79,5 1.7 2,5 106,0 17,3 Malegaon 20.0 14,0 4.7 58,6 62.1 83,9 2.5 1,99 105,0 5,3 C hand wad 9.8 11,1 3.8 66,1 71.0 84,0 5.8 2,5 104,8 5,3 Nandgaon 22.2 11,1 7.0 54,2 56.6 90,0 1.7 0,8 104,3 5,1 Yeola 12.6 4,5 3.8 73,5 78.3 98,0 2.7 10 1064 5,9 Niphad 12.9 2,8 5.7 74,5 86.0 93,6 6.3 11.0 115,4 33,0 Sinnar 10.5 L4.0 4,0 68,1 70.8 94,1 4.3 0,82 104,9 9,5 Igatpuri 21.2 13,2 6.6 53,0 53.7 59,0 1.6 00 102,0 2,0
District 22.5 10.2 7.1 55,0 58,4 85 0 3.7 4.3 106,0 9,3 Total
YEAR - 1991- 92
Nashik 9.1 11.8 13.1 38,9 40,3 57,6 5.7 70,6 103,6 20,1 Peth 48.2 5.5 8.8 37,2 38,0 85,8 - 00 101,1 1,1 Dindori 16.4 11.7 13.0 53.2 57,4 57.1 2.7 784 107,2 18,9 Surgana 51.7 2.0 2.6 38,9 39,0 82.0 - 00 100,3 3,8 Kalvan 32.9 6.4 8.1 46,7 51,2 82.9 - 39.7 107,6 26,3 Baglan 29.4 11.3 5.8 54.9 57,6 82.9 1.5 39,7 107,6 26,3 Malegaon 19.9 14.2 3.0 58,2 60,3 81.0 1.1 42,8 103,6 7,3 Chandwad 9.3 10.3 7.4 62.5 64,2 86.5 1.6 81,8 102,6 14,3 Nandgaon 23.4 10.1 4.2 55,0 56,8 48.5 - 37,7 103,5 8,7 Yeola 9.5 8.9 9.3 67.1 71,9 86.1 - 56,7 107,1 9,5 Niphad 1.2 6.1 24.5 68.0 73,6 55.0 7.1 91,3 108,2 45.8 Sinnar 7,8 9.7 6.2 67.4 70,3 82.2 - 56,7 104,3 12,3 Igatpuri 21.2 11.0 5,5 56.2 58,3 56.0 - 00 103,8 2.4
District 20.7 8.3 8,3 55,0 57,8 75.0 1.7 60,8 105,0 14.5 Total
(Source. Compiled by the Author)
35 NA5H1K DISTRICT AREA UNDER FORESTS (% To Total Geographical Area) Forest
There is no significant change in the area under forest in the district from 1961-1962 to 1991-92. The average area under forest is 21.3 % of the total geographical area which is much less than the expected (33 %). But the district has more area under forest than the percentage of area under forest in Maharashtra (which is 17.5 %). The decadal variation shows that in 1961- 62 and 91-92 the area under forest has declined. The variations within the district are as follows-
1961-62: The tahsilwise distribution of forest in the district for 1961-62 shows that north western part of the district has more area under forest than the rest of the district. There is decrease in area under forest from north-west to south-east in the district. Peth, Surgana,
Kalvan, and Malegaon have more than 30% of the area under forest. While Nandgaon, Yeola, Niphad, Sinnar and Igatpuri have less than 10% of the area under forest. Niphad tahsil has the least area (1.0%) under forest (Fig 2.8 A).
1971-72: In 1971-72 there is a slight decrease in area under forest from 21.7% in 61-62 to 20.7%. Baglan tahsil shows remarkable decline in area under forest while the remaining tahsils do not show much change (Fig 2.8 B).
1981- 82: In 1981- 82 the district has 22.5% of area under forest which shows a small increase in area than that of 71-72 . Igatpuri, and Nandgaon show increase in forested area than the earlier decade while Malegaon, Chandwad, show decline in the same period. Peth, Surgana,
Kalvan, tahsils show highest area under forest in this period (Fig 2.8 C).
1991- 92: In this third decade Igatpuri is the only tahsil that shows an increase in area under forest. The tahsils of Nashik, Niphad, Yeola and Sinnar show further decline in area under forest.
These tahsils and Chandwad have less than 10% of the area under forest. The hilly tahsils of
Peth, Surgana, remain at the top with more than 40% area under forest in the district (Fig 2.8 D). The Nashik district forest may be divided into three groups: those in the valley of Girna, those in the valley of the Godavari and those in Peth (District Gazetteer, 1983). The source region of Godavari and Girna in the Sahyadri hills are not much forested but their off shoots
36 NA5HIK DISTRICT PERCENTAGE OF NET SOWN AREA TO GROSS CROPPED AREA
1961-62 1971-7?
^ *1.
30 KM ^ ' 5C 3PKM
5 1 60
61 7 0 1981-0? ■ > 7C 199 1-9? ©
=1° KM
Fig. ?-9 towards east which act as water divide between the Godavari and the Girna are fairly wooded. Besides Peth, and Surgana are fairly wooded tahsils of the district.
The district has four kinds of forest: the scrub forest, the teak forest in patches, the trap hill evergreen forests of Peth, Surgana and lastly Babhul (Accacia) reserve forest of the rain shadow area. The scrub forest is found in the north-eastern part of the district having Accacia (babhul), bor, khair and Anjan trees, which are useful as firewood mainly. In Godavari and
Kadwa valley regions teak forests are found in patches. They have been cut to a large extent. The third forested region lies in upper terraces of trap hills in Peth and Surgana tahsils These are evergreen mixed forests with Shishu, Hirda, Behada, Khair, Jambul, Mangoes, Babhul and some teak. The fourth category includes babhul reserves of rain shadow area. Sinnar plateau, Yeola and Nandgaon tahsils have these forests.
Net sown area The average net sown area of the district is 55.7% of the total geographical area from
1961 to 1991. The gross cropped area has declined between 61-62 and 91- 92. This is due to decrease in net sown area. After 1971-72 there is no significant change. The tahsilwise temporal distribution of net sown area is as follows: 1961-62: The distribution of net sown area indicates that net sown area increases from west to east in the district. Peth, Baglan, Surgana, Igatpuri and Kalwan tahsils have 20% of net sown area. The highest net sown area lies in the tahsils of Yeola, Niphad and Sinnar. The remaining tahsils of Malegaon, Chandwad, Dindori, Nandgaon and Nashik have 20% to 40% of net sown area to the total geographical area (Fig 2.9 A).
1971-72: The study area has 55% of net sown area in 1971-72. The distribution shows that Peth,
Surgana have less than 10% of net sown area while Niphad and Yeola has more than 40% of net sown area. Igatpuri is the only tahsil that shows remarkable increase in the area from 1961-62 to 1971-72. Sinnar and Malegaon however show decline in the net sown area in the same period
(Fig 2.9 B). 1981-82: In 1981-82 Peth, Surgana still remain in the lowest category on the one hand. Niphad, Yeola in the highest category on the other hand in the context of net sown area. Baglan, Igatpuri
and Nashik show more variation in the net sown area than the earlier decade. This tahsil show decline in net sown area (Fig 2.9 C).
37 NASHIK DISTRICT PERCENTAGE OF AREA UNDER FALLOW LAND TO GROSS CROPPED AREA
Fig . 2-tO 1991- 92: In 91-92 Nashik tahsil further shows decline in net sown area and it is grouped along with Peth and Surgana. This may be due to the expansion of urban area and development of industries in an around Nashik which has influenced the entire tahsil with respect to net sown area. This urbanisation and industralisation has led to converting the agricultural land to non- agricultural land as a result of which net sown area has decreased. Niphad and Yeola show decline in area under net sown area. Kalwan, Peth, Surgana are the three tahsils that do not show any change from 1961- 62 to 1991- 92 (Fig 2.9 D).
Fallow land The average area under fallows is 69% of the total geographical area. In every decade firom 61- 62 it is increasing. The fallow land includes both current fallow and permanent fallow lands. The increase in area from 61- 62 to 91- 92 is 130%
1961-62: The tahsilwise distribution shows that out of the 13 tahsils of the district 8 tahsils have less than 3% of the area under fallow. Peth, Kalwan, Chandwad, Malegaon, Nandgaon, Niphad, Yeola and Sinnar come under this category. Nashik is the only tahsil that has more than 9% of
fallow land. Baglan has 6% of fallows (Fig 2 .10 A). 1971-72: In 1971-72 district has a fallow land of 8.7% with remarkable tahsilwise variations During this period area under fallows has increased in the tahsils of Kalwan, Chandwad, Malegaon, Nandgaon, Niphad, Yeola, Sinnar and Igatpuri while in Nashik tahsil the area under
fallows has decreased. Peth, Dindori and Surgana do not show any change in fallows (Fig 2.10
B) 1981-82: In 1981-82 there is decrease in area under fallows than the area in 71-72. Niphad and Yeola have highest area under fallows. Peth, Surgana continue to have lowest area under fallows
in the district. Baglan shows increase while Igatpuri shows decline in fallow land than 71-72
(Fig 2.10 C). 1991-92: In 1991-92 the district has 8 .3% percent of fallow land. Chandwad, Niphad, Yeola and Sinnar have highest area under fallow while Nashik, Peth, Surgana have lowest area under fallow
in the district. Nashik tahsil shows remarkable decline in area from 61-62 to 91-92 while Niphad, Yeola, Chandwad and Sinnar show increasing trend. Dindori and Kalwan do not show
much change (Fig 2.10 D).
38 NASHIK DISTRICT PERCENTAGE OF AREA NOT AVAILABLE FOR CULTIVATION
K M
1991-92
O
.
,5 = - ' i
mmmmm'.MVAVdWdVA'AurArM'^'.u •4VdW .i'AU'dKlW ’i'ii^ 4 r
l = = a ° KM
Fig. ?■ n Area not available for cultivation The average area not available for cultivation is 10.5% of the total geographical area of the district. It is declining from 1961-62 to 1991-92. The rate of decrease is more in the last decade from 81-82 to 91-92 accounding for 71.4% of decline. Within a period of 30 years from 61-62 to 91-92 the decrease is by 30.2%. in the first decade of 61- 62 to 71-72 the decline is not significant but it is significant from 71-72 to 91-92. The tahsilwise distribution of map show following trends.
1961-62: In 1961-62 Surgana, Peth and Yeola have less than 5% of area not available for cultivation. Malegaon, Kalwan, Chandwad, Nandgaon, Nashik and Igatpuri have more than 12% of uncultivable area. Niphad and Sinnar have less than 12% of area not available for cultivation
(Fig 2.11 A). 1971-72: Surgana and Peth are the only two tahsils that have lowest area under this category. The remaining tahsils show more or less similar kind of distribution as it was in 61-62. Changes have occurred only in three tahsils of Niphad, Sinnar and Yeola. Area not available for cultivation has decreased in Niphad while it is increased in Yeola and Sinnar tahsil (Fig 2.11 B). 1981-82: In 1981-82 there are certain remarkable changes in the district in the context of area not available for cultivation. The district as a whole has 10.2% of total geographical area but tahsilwise variations are significant. For instant Niphad and Yeola are added in the list of lowest category where Peth and Surgana were only included in the earlier decade. Kalwan, Chandwad and Nandgaon also show declining trend while Baglan shows increase in area that is not
available for cultivation. Sinnar, Igatpuri and Nashik do not show any change (Fig 2.11 C), 1991-92: There is further decrease in area not available for cultivation. In the period of 81- 81 to
91-92. The district has 8.3% of area not available for cultivation to the total geographical area. Peth, Surgana and Niphad has less than 5% of area under this category. Malegaon is the only tahsil that has more than 12% of area not available for cultivation. Out of the thirteen tahsils of
the district seven tahsils of Baglan, Dindori, Chandwad, Nandgaon, Nashik, Sinnar and Igatpuri
have less than 12% but more than 9% of the area not available for cuhivation. Kalvan shows
decrease in area while Yeola shows increase (Fig 2.11 D).
39 NA5HIK DISTRICT
PERCENTAGE OF FOOD CROPS TO NET SOWN AREA
Fig. 2-13. 2.2.2 FOOD c r o p s ;
The percentage of area under food crops to the gross cropped area is calculated to take a review of food crop in the district. It shows constant changes in each decade under consideration The average area under food crops is 77.5% of the gross cropped area of the district. This indicates the extreme importance of food crop in the district. The important food crops in the district include wheat, rice, bajra, jowar and ragi (nagli). In the first decade from 61- 62 to 71-72 there is decline in area under food crops by 11.5% while in the next decade it has increased by 20.7% in 1991-92 again shows decrease in area under food crops. Except wheat most of the food crops are rain fed and depending upon the rainfall various food crops are grown. Besides, irrigation also plays an important role in determining the area under food crops
1961-62: The district had 79.6% of area under food crops in 1961-62. Except Surgana all other twelve tahsils have more than 60% of the area under food crops. Out of these twelve, six tahsils of Peth, Kalvan, Niphad, Nandgaon, Yeola and Sinnar have more than 80% of gross cropped area under food crops while the remaining six tahsils which include Nashik, Dindori, Baglan,
Malegaon, Chandwad and Igatpuri have 70% to 80% of area under food crops, Surgana is the only tahsil that has less than 60% of the area under food crops (Fig 2.12 A). 1971-72: In 1971-72 the district has 70.4% of area under food crops. Peth, Kalvan, Nandgaon and Sinnar have higher area under food crops than the rest of the district. Nashik, Dindori and
Yeola tahsils show significant decrease in area. These tahsils have less than 50%) of the area under food crops. The remaining tahsils do not show much change and their area under food
crops range from 60% to 70% (Fig 2.12 B). " \ ’ / 1981-82: The district shows increase in area under food crops in 1981-82. It has 85% of area under food crops. Peth, Nandgaon, Niphad, Yeola and Sinnar have more than 90% of area under
food crops. Similarly Surgana, Kalvan, Malegaon and Chandwad have more than 80% but less than 90% of area under food crops. Dindori and Igatpuri have less than 50% of the area under
food crops while Nashik and Baglan have slightly more area under food crops than these two
tahsils (Fig 2.12 C). 1991-92: In 1991-92 the district has 75% of the area under food crops. Out of the thirteen tahsils
seven tahsils of Peth , Surgana, Kalvan, Baglan, Malegaon, Chandwad and Sinnar have more than 80% of the area under food crops. As against this, Igatpuri, Nandgaon, Nashik, Niphad,
Dindori have less than 50% of the area under food crops. This indicates that the large regional
40 NASHIK DISTRICT INTENSITY OF CROPPING
1961-6?
Ffg.?-13 variation in the area under food crops in 1991-92. Yeola tahsil shows remarkable decline in area from 81-82 to 91-92. The reduced area under food crops is largely concentrated in the southern part of the district while the northern part has higher percentage of area under food crops. Geographically they can be described as Godavari basin and Grina basin respectively. This demarcation also indicates the increased importance of other crops in comparison with the food crops in the Godavari basin (Fig 2.12 D).
Intensity of cropping Intensity of cropping is the percentage ratio of gross cropped area to the net sown area. This indicates the changes that have occurred in area that are cropped more than once in a year. For calculating the intensity of cropping the following formula is used:
C. I = G. C A X 100 N. S. A
Where.
C. 1, = Cropping Intensity G. C . A = Gross Cropped Area of the unit
N. S. A = Net Sown Area of the same unit Intensity of cropping has a close relationship with the amount of rainfall, irrigation facilities and input capacity of the farmer. The average intensity of cropping for the district is 105.9% and there are no significant changes in the intensity from 1961-62 to 1991-92. Following are the tahsilwise variations within the district. 1961-62: In 1961-62 the cropping intensity for the district was 107,0% which is highest in the period under consideration. Northern part of the district comprising Kalvan, Malegaon and Baglan have highest intensity of cropping from 110% in Baglan to 118% in Malegaon. Around this area of high intensity, except Chandwad, there are five tahsils namely Surgana Dindori,
Niphad, Yeola and Nandgaon that have cropping intensity that ranges between 105% to 110%.
The remaining tahsils of Peth, Igatpuri, Sinnar, Chandwad and Nashik have less than 105% of the cropping intensity which indicates that there is less difference between the gross cropped area and the net sown area in the district (Fig 2.13 A). 1971-72: The cropping intensity of the district in 71-72 was 105.6% which is same as the district average. It has decreased as compared to the cropping intensity of 61-62. The central and
41 the southern parts of the study area has the cropping intensity that ranges between 100% to 105%. There are seven tahsils in this range. This includes Dindori, Niphad, Igatpuri, Nashik, Sinnar, Nandgaon and Yeola. Cropping intensity is highest in Malegaon (117%). The adjoining tahsil of Baglan has lowest cropping intensity in the district, which is 71.7%. The gross cropped area has remarkably decreased in a span of ten years from 61-62 to 71-72. The other two tahsils with low cropping intensity are Peth and Surgana with 100% and 99.9% of cropping intensity.
These two percentages indicate that gross cropped area is more or less equal to its net sown area in 71-72. Kalvan has 106.9% of cropping intensity and there is not much change while Chandwad, shows increase in cropping intensity than in 61- 62 with 105.4% in 71-72 (Fig 2.13
B) 1981-82: In 1981-82 the district had the average cropping intensity of 106%. Niphad is the only tahsil with highest intensity of cropping amounting to 115% Nashik, Yeola, Kalvan, Baglan and
Malegaon have cropping intensity that ranges between 105% and 110%, the group in which district average intensity lies and thus representing the district. In the remaining seven tahsils, only one tahsil namely Peth, has 100% cropping intensity (Fig 2.13 C). 1991-92: In 1991-92 the district has the cropping intensity of 105%. It is important to note that variations in cropping intensity within the district are not large in 1991-92. It ranges between
100% to 110%. Kalvan, Niphad, Dindori and Yeola have the cropping intensity that ranges from
105% to 110% with Kalvan being highest (109.6%) The remaining nine tahsils have less than 105% of cropping intensity. As compared to the earlier decade the cropping intensity has
decreased and the variations are also much less in 1991-92. This also indicates that area under
gross cropping has declined and the difference between gross cropped area and net sown area is
much less in each tahsil of the district (Fig 2.13 D). 2.2.3 IRRIGATION
Irrigation is one of the important inputs in agriculture. Availability of assured supply of
water enables a farmer to grow more crops and also to practice intensive cultivation to get better
returns. Farming without irrigation is limited and in areas where rainfall is less than 300mm it is not possible to grow without irrigation (King, 1953). The irregular and uneven rains prove a
major obstacle towards self-sufficiency in food production. Irrigation not only helps to increase food production but also enables to bring more barren land under crops and facilitates double
42 cropping and raising of cash crops. As grapes are grown as cash crop, irrigation plays an important role in the cultivation of grapes
Grapevines stand in the field for a long period of ten or more years. Viticulture is developed in areas where irrigation is available in Maharashtra; most of grape growing areas are located in low rainfall areas of the state. Although there are three distinct seasons-Summer, Rainy and Winter in the state, watering is needed even in the rainy season due to uncertainty of
rainfall. During the winter season, the vines bear flowers after the October pruning. Weather is dry with low temperatures. Vines need water after 8 to 10 days as possibilhy of rainfall is much less in this period. In Summer, April pruning makes irrigation essential for growth of new shoots on the vine. High temperature, low humidity and high rate of evaporation make the soils dry.
Hence vines need weekly supply of water.
Viticulture is also dependent upon fertilizers. Due to this, productivity of soil and healthy vines can be maintained in their proper conditions. Vines need water immediately after fertilizers are provided. If there is insufficient supply of water, new growth is affected and secondly leaves
turn yellow and curly. Leaves start falling down the vines and it becomes difficult to save the
vine. After considering the need of irrigation to vhiculture an attempt has been made here to
take a review of the irrigation facilities available along with intensity of irrigation in the study
area.
In 1961-62 the study area had only 5.5% of the cultivated area under irrigated crops while in 92-93 out of the total area under cuhivation, 14% was under irrigation which indicates
the increase in area under irrigation. The district mainly has well irrigation. Out of the total
means of irrigation, 89% of irrigation is by wells and only 11% is by surface irrigation facilities like canals and tanks. The chief irrigated crops are wheat, sugarcane, groundnut, gram, fruits and vegetables in which fhiits and vegetables share 32%, that is nearly one third of the irrigated area. Intensity of Irrigation
Intensity of irrigation refers to the percentage share of net irrigated area to the net sown
area. If the area under irrigation is higher, the intensity index will also be higher. Irrigation facilities and net sown area have close positive relationship. For calculating intensity of irrigation index. The following formula is used:
4," NASHIK DISTRICT INTENSITY OF IRRIGATION
Fi g.2-14 Intensity of Irrigation = Net Irrigated Area of unit x 100
Net Sown Area of unit ‘A’ On the basis of the above formula intensity of irrigation at the district level is calculated The average intensity of irrigation for the district is 8.7% but there is increasing trend in the intensity from 19 61-62 to 1991-92. It was only 19% in 1961-62 and in 1991-92 it is 14.5% However, within the district there are significant variations in all the years under considerations 1961-62: In 1961-62 the intensity of irrigation was only 4.8%> for the district. Maximum intensity was in Niphad tahsil (10.5%) which is followed by Malegaon (7.0%), while intensity was minimum in Nandgaon tahsil (2.5%). It is worth noting that Peth, Surgana and Igatpuri did not have irrigation and hence the intensity is zero in these three tahsils. Nandgaon, Yeola and Kalvan have 2 to 4% of intensity of irrigation. Baglan, Sinnar, Dindori, Chandwad and Nashik have 4 to
6% of intensity (Fig 2.14 A).
1971-72: There is significant increase in the intensity of irrigation in 1971-72 The district has 9.2% of intensity of irrigation. Maximum intensity is found in Niphad tahsil with 24 3%, while
minimum intensity is in Yeola 4.4%. Nashik tahsil ranks second with 16.6% as its intensity of irrigation. Kalvan, Baglan and Sinnar have more than 9% as their intensity There is not much
change in Malegaon tahsil which had 7% intenshy in 61-62 and reached upto 8% in 71-72 Dondori (6.1%>) shows significant increase in intensity of irrigation. Position of Peth, Surgana
and Igatpuri remain the same as it was in 61- 62 with no irrigation (Fig 2.14 B).
1981-82: In this decade there is not much change in intensity of irrigation at the district level. In 1981-82 it is 9.3% Niphad shows remarkable increase in intensity of irrigation; while the
remaining tahsils have less than half the intenshy of irrigation than Niphad has, except Baglan (17.3%). Nashik, Dindori, Kalvan, Malegaon, Chandwad and Sinnar show decrease in intensity of irrigation. Thus out of thirteen tahsils six show declining trend in a decade. Out of the three
tahsils which did not have any irrigation upto 71-72, onlly one tahsil of Igatpuri has reached the
intensity of irrigation to 2% in 81-82. Peth, Surgana the remaining two tahsils did not have any irrigation (Fig 2.14 C)
1991-92: The intensity of irrigation at the district level in 1991-92 was 14.5%. it is important to note that in the decade of 81-91 irrigation is extended in all the thirteen tahsils although Prth.
Surgana and Igatpuri have 1.1, 3.8, and 2.4 percent only respectively. Niphad continues to show high rate of increase in intensity of irrigation reaching upto 4.6%. Kalvan. Nashik, Dindori.
44 NASHIK DISTRICT INTENSITY OF CANAL IRRIGATION
1961-62 1971-7?
Av; 28-5 vv. -j------\ rit------
------\ — ___
INDfX
E T 3 < ?0% LOW 20 Un% 30 KM 3,0 KM
40 6 0 ° / ^ ’MEDIUM "I 60 50% HIGH 1981-8? > 80 % 1991-92 © Av; 71 • 2 Av;13-6 © & i
— »■pr 'i -n"- V -
Av ; Average for the district
Fig. 2-15 Chandwad, Sinnar and Baglan also show increase in the intensity of irrigation. Each tahsil shows increase from 81-82 to 91-92 which is also responsible for increasing the overall intensity of at the district level (Fig 2.14 D).
Intensity of Canal Irrigation. The intensity of canal irrigation is the percentage ratio of area under canal irrigation to the total area under irrigation. Irrigation is mainly provided by wells and canals. Wells are the oldest and the cheapest means of irrigation especially for individual small farmers and medium farmers. Canals are of recent origin. They provide water to a large area with assured supply of water throughout the year. The district has a number of small and medium irrigation projects. Most of them are located in the western part of the district in hills of
Sahyadris. The central and the eastern parts are irrigated by the canals built on various irrigation
projects. The intensity of canal irrigation shows declining trend from 61-62 to 91-92. In 61-62 the district level intensity of canal irrigation was 38,6% of the total irrigated area but in 91-92 it is
only 13 .6%. Besides, there are significant variations in the intensity of canal irrigation within the
district. 1961-62: The intensity of canal irrigation in 1961-62 was 38.6% with Peth, Surgana tahsils having no area under canal irrigation. Baglan has the highest area (59.5) under canal irrigation
while Nandgaon has only 0.2% of canal irrigation. Niphad, Nashik, Kalvan and Malegaon have
40 to 60% of canal irrigation (Fig 2.15 A). 1971-72: In 1971-72 the district has 28.5% of area under canal irrigation. Peth. Surgana Igatpuri and Nandgaon tahsils have no area under canal irrigation. Nashik tahsil has maximum area under
canal irrigation with 60.2%. Out of thirteen tahsils, seven tahsils of Dindori Kalvan, Malegaon, Chandwad, Niphad, Yeola and Sinnar have lowest (>20%) area under canal irrigation. Baglan is the only tahsil with nearly 30% canal irrigation (Fig 2.15 B).
1981-82: The intensity of canal irrigation has further decreased in 1981-82. The district has
22.2% of area under canal irrigation. Niphad and Baglan tahsils have 53% and 43% of canal
irrigation respectively. The remaining tahsils have less than 20% of canal irrigation except Malegaon which has 20.2%. Thus out of the thirteen tahsils eight have nearly 20%> of area under
canal irrigation, while three tahsils of Peth, Surgana and Nandgaon have no area under canal
irrigation in 1981-82 due to which the district average has declined to 22.2% (Fig 2.15 C).
45 NASHIK DISTRICT INTENSITY OF WELL IRRIGATION
Av; Average for the district.
Fig.2-14 1991-92: In 1991-92 the district has only 13 6% of area under canal irrigation which is much less as compared to the earlier years under consideration. Chandwad and Nandgaon have no area under canal irrigation. Although Peth shows maximum (91 7%) of intensity of canal irrigation, the total area under irrigation itself is only 395 hectares, out of which well irrigation has 35 hectares only. Owing to this, the share of canal irrigation seems to be very high. In the remaining tahsils the intensity of irrigation is less than 40%. Surgana and Malegaon have 35% and 32% of area under canal irrigation respectively. Kalvan. Baglan, Dindori, Niphad, Igatpuri, Sinnar and Yeola have less than 20% of area under canal irrigation (Fig 2.15 D). Intensity of Well Irrigation: Wells are the oldest means of irrigation. Small and medium farmers
largely depend on well irrigation. Although wells are able to irrigate limited areas they are
important, as individual farmers can afford to have their own wells and take the crops depending
on the availability of water throughout the year Secondly, in areas where canal irrigation is not available wells are the only means of assured supply of water for agriculture. In Nashik district
well are widely distributed and the share of area under well irrigation to the total irrigated area is
large. For instance, in 1961-62 the intensity of well irrigation in the district was more than 60%
of the total area irrigated and in 91-92 wells provided 86% of irrigation. Thus the intensity of well irrigation is much more higher than the canal irrigation in the district.
1961-62: In 1961-62 the district had 614% of the total irrigated area under well irrigation. Out of the thirteen tahsils nine have more than the district average. In these nine tahsils five namely Peth. Surgana, Igatpuri, Yeola and Nandgaon have more than 80% of area under well irrigation. Out of these five Peth, Surgana and Nandgaon have only well irrigation. As a result these tahsils
show highest intensity of well irrigation It is worth noting that the actual area under well irrigation is much less viz. Peth 7 hectares, Surgana 58 hectares only (Fig 2,16 A). 1971-72: The area under study has 71% of the total irrigated area under well irrigation,
indicating the rise in area under well irrigation It is important to note that out of the thirteen
tahsils, ten have more than 80% of the area under well irrigation. The remaining three tahsils of Baglan, Niphad and Nashik have 70%, 58% and 39,8% of well irrigation respectively. Although
Peth. Surgana and Igatpuri have each 100 percent of intensity of well irrigation, the actual area under well irrigation is very small as compared to the area under well irrigation in Niphad,
Malegaon and Sinnar tahsils. Due to the absence of canal irrigation in Peth, Surgana and Igatpuri
46 tahsils the intensity of well irrigation is highest. For these three tahsils intensity of yell irrigation seems to be misleading in comparison with the intensity of the other tahsils (Fig 2.16 B)
1981-82: The district average intensity of area under well irrigation was 77.8% in 1981-82 Except the three tahsils of Baglan, Malegaon and Niphad the remaining ten tahsils show more than 80% of the total irrigated area under well irrigation. Peth and Surgana have only well irrigation due to which intensity is highest (100%). The actual area under well irrigation is high in Yeola (15704 ha ) and Niphad (12113ha ' tahsils. Malegaon has 79.8% of area under well irrigation while Niphad and Baglan have slightly above 40% of area under well irrigation which is lowest in the district (Fig 2.16 C).
1991-92: In 1991-92 the intensity of well irrigation for the district was 86.4° o. But as compared to the earlier decades of 61, 71 and 81 the tahsilwise variations are large. Although the district average is high, tahsil like Peth has less than 20% of intensity of irrigation and Kalvan has the highhest area under well irrigation with 98.4% (14453ha ) of intensity. The other high intensity
tahsils include Nashik, Dindori, Baglan, Chandwad, Nandgaon, Yeola, Sinnar and Igatpuri.
Medium intensity of well irrigation is found in Malegaon, Surgana and Niphad tahsils with more
than 60% of intensity (Fig 2.16 D). Distribution of Wells: As area under well irrigation is large in the district, it is also necessary to
take a review of the distribution of wells in the study area Wells are the most important means
of irrigation for small farmers. The field survey also showed that most of the farmers cultivated grapes that entirely depend on wells. Electric and diesel pumps are installed to take the water out
and store this into a well built tank. Drip irrigation system is connected to this tank to irrigate the vineyards regularly. Nearly 85 to 90% of the farmers visited have the above method of irrigation
which assures water supply when needed and which also saves water. Due to well irrigation, through drip technique, 35 to 60% of water is saved. This is one of the important experiences of
the farmers which makes them ready for the initial investment of about Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 25,000
per hectare to install drip irrigation system in the vineyard. Further, such water saving devices
help to bring more and more area under grape cultivation. Hence it is also necessary to study the distribution of wells in the district The distribution of wells in the district is calculated as percentage of wells to the total number of wells in the district from 1961-62 to 1991-92.
1961-62: The number of wells in the district during 61-62 were 58,695. but the tahsilwise
distribution shows large variations. For instance, Surgana has just 17 wells while Malegaon has
47 more than 10.000 wells. Wells are largely concentrated in Malegaon, Yeola, Niphad. Sinnar and Chandwad tahsils. These tahsils have 63% of total wells in the district. Baglan, Nandgaon and
Nashik share 25% of the wells in the district while Peth, Surgana and Igatpuri only 0.45% of the wells. Thus out of thirteen tahsils of the district, 88% of the wells are concentrated in eight tahsils and the remaining 12% are mainly distributed in Dindori and Kalvan tahsils. The hilly and forested tahsils have less number of wells in the district.
1971-72: The number of wells increased in the district in 1971-72. The district had 93,000 wells. Maximum wells are concentrated in Malegaon tahsil (18400) contributing nearly 20% of the wells in the district. Chandwad and Sinnar have more than 11,000 wells each sharing 25% of the total wells in the district. Yeola, Baglan, Nandgaon and Nashik also have 7 to 8% of wells in each tahsil. Peth, Surgana and Igatpuri continue to have very few wells in the district. Surgana has smallest number of wells (388). The tahsil shows increase in wells from 17 in 61-62 to 388 m 71-72. 1981-82: The total number of wells decreased in 1981-82 in comparison with 71-72 in the district There were 78,542 wells in 81-82 as against 93,000 in 71-72. Except Niphad nad Sinnar all other tahsils show decline in number of wells Malegaon, although has maximum number of wells (13091) in 81- 82, there is decline in number of wells from 18395 in 71-72 to 13091 in 81-
82. Malegaon, Sinnar and Niphad contnbute 44% of the wells in the district. The other important tahsils are Yeola, Chandwad, Nandgaon. Baglan and Nashik. Dindori and Kalvan ecah have around 5% of wells. Peth, Surgana and Igatpuri continue to have less number of well in the district 1991-92: There were nearly 77000 wells in the district in 1991-92. This also shows declining trend. Even though the general trend is towards decrease, some tahsils show increase in number of wells also. Malegaon, Baglan, Kalvan, Dindori, Nashik, Nandgaon, Niphad and Igatpuri show marginal incerase in the number of well while remaining tahsils like Peth, Surgan, Chandwad,
Yeola and Sinnar show significant decrease in number of wells and as a result of which number
of well show declining trend in the district during 91-92. Although the causes of decline in
number of wells are not exactly known it may be because of decrease in underground water table, some wells went dry and drought condition of 73.34% must have also affected the water level in wells.
48 TABLE NO. 2.7 IRRIGATION: NO, OF WELLS AND AREA (Ha) IN NASHIK DISTRICT
YEAR - 1961 -62 YEAR -1 9 7 1 -7 2
TAHSIL NO. OF AREA IRRIGATED BY TOTAL NO, OF AREAIRRIGAIED BY TOTAL WELLS WELLS CANAL WELLS WELLS CANAL
NASHIK 4323 2482 1201 3683 6935 4342 6585 10927 (7.4) (67.4) (32.6) (7,4) (39.8) (60.2)
PETH 25 07 00 07 629 03 00 03 (0.04) (100) (0) (0.67) (100) (0)
DINDORl 2535 2045 1462 3507 4523 4212 845 5057 (4.3) (58.3) (41.7) (4.8) (83.3) (16.7)
SURGANA 17 58 00 58 388 11 00 11 (0.03) (1(X)) (0) (0.01) (100) (0)
KALVAN 2624 1174 687 1851 5109 5404 562 6000 (4.5) (63.4) (37.1) (5.5) (99.6) (9.3) 1
BAGLAN 5265 1660 2441 4101 7563 4845 2493 8354 (9.0) (40.5) (59.5) (8.1) (70.2) (29.8)
MALEGAON 10810 4236 4071 8307 18395 6633 1427 8060 (18.4) (51.0) (49.0) (19.8) (82.3) (17,7)
CHANDWAD 5906 2649 738 3387 12509 4934 270 ■ 5204 (10.0) (78.2) (21.8) (13.4) (94.8) (5,2)
NANDGAON 5744 1509 03 1512 6800 2678 00 2678 (9.8) (99.8) (0.2) (7.3) (100) (0)
YEOLA 7450 2411 483 2894 9564 3452 99 3551 (12.7) (83.3) (16.7) (10.3) (97.2) (2,8)
NIPHAD 6800 5177 4057 9235 8186 12026 4646 20685 (11.6) (56.1) (43.9) (8.8) (58.1) (22,4)
SINNAR 6565 3460 1777 5237 11370 8213 832 9047 (10.6) (66.1) (33.9) (12.2) (90,9) (9,1)
IGATPURI 252 32 04 36 1021 177 00 177 (0.43) (88.8) (11.2) (1.0) (100) (0)
DISTRICT 58695 26900 16924 43824 93024 56930 22759 79752 TOTAL (61.4) (38,6) (71.4) (28,5)
AV: 451 5 AV: 715i5
(Source: District Statistical Abstracts for 61- 62, 71- 72) AV=Average 49 TABLE NO. 2.^ GENERAL LAND USE: NASHIK DISTRICT YEAR 1981-82
TAHSIl. % OF TOTAL GEOGRAPHICAL AREA % T 0 G.C.A GRAPE CROPPINC IRRIG NOT %IN INTEN- ATION FOREST AVIL FALLOW NET GROSS FOOD FRurrs FR urrs SFTY INIEN- FOR LAND SOWN CROPPED CROPS SITY CULTI
Nashik 13.8 15.5 18.0 43.9 47.8 69.0 9.2 7.4 108.6 8.9
Peth 48.9 5.5 13.3 32.9 33.0 92.0 — 00 00.0 — Dindori 16.4 8.6 3.6 56.6 57.8 38.5 6.0 5.4 14.0 6.3
Surgana 53.2 2.9 5.0 36.9 37.0 84.1 — 00 10.3 — Kalvan 32.9 11.5 7.4 44.0 47.7 89.8 2.5 0.20 1085 4.1 Baglan 29,0 12.1 4.8 50.7 53.9 79.5 1.7 2.5 106.0 17.3 Malegaon 20.0 14.0 4.7 58.6 62.1 83.9 2.5 1.99 105.0 5.3 Chandwad 9.8 11.1 3.8 66.1 71.0 84.0 5.8 2.5 104.8 5.3 Nandgaon 22.2 11.1 7.0 54.2 56.6 90.0 1.7 0.8 104.3 5.1 Yeola 12.6 4.5 3.8 73.5 78.3 98.0 2.7 10 106.4 5,9 Niphad 12.9 2.8 5.7 74.5 86.0 93,6 6.3 11.0 115.4 33.0 Sinnar 10.5 14.0 4.0 68.1 70.8 94.1 4.3 0.82 104.9 9.5 Igatpuri 21.2 13.2 6.6 53.0 53.7 59.0 1.6 00 102.0 2,0
District 22.5 10.2 7.1 55.0 58.4 85.0 3.7 4.3 106.0 9,3 Total
YEAR - 1991- 92
Nashik 9.1 11.8 13.1 38.9 40.3 57.6 5.7 70.6 103.6 20,1 Peth 48.2 5.5 8.8 37.2 38.0 85.8 - 00 101.1 1,1 Dindori 16.4 11.7 13.0 53.2 57.4 57.1 2.7 78.4 107.2 18,9 Surgana 51.7 2.0 2.6 38.9 39.0 82.0 - 00 100.3 3,8 Kalvan 32.9 6.4 8.1 46.7 51.2 82.9 - 39.7 107.6 26,3 Baglan 29.4 11.3 5.8 54.9 57.6 82.9 1.5 39.7 107.6 26,3 Malegaon 19,9 14.2 3.0 58.2 60,3 81.0 1.1 42.8 103.6 7,3 Chandwad 9.3 10.3 7.4 62.5 64.2 86.5 1.6 81.8 102.6 14.3 Nandgaon 23.4 10.1 4.2 55.0 56.8 48,5 - 37.7 103.5 8.7 Yeola 9.5 8.9 9.3 67.1 71.9 86,1 - 56.7 107.1 9.5 Niphad 1.2 6.1 24.5 68.0 73.6 55,0 7.1 91.3 108.2 45.8
Sinnar 7.8 9.7 6.2 67.4 70.3 82.2 - 56.7 104.3 12.3 Igatpuri 21.2 11.0 5.5 56.2 58.3 56,0 - 00 103.8 2.4
District 20.7 8.3 8.3 55.0 57,8 75.0 1.7 60.8 105.0 14.5 Total
(Source: Compiled by the Author)
50 In general it can be concluded that number of wells and well irrigation have close relationship and together they influence the area under irrigation in each decade under consideration. Malegaon has the highest number of wells with large area under well irrigation. As against this Peth, Surgana, Igatpuri have very less number of wells and well irrigation also. Dindori is the only tahsil which does not show much change in number of wells, constantly contributing around 5% of total number of wells.
2.2,4 TRANSPORT
The development of means of transport in Nashik district has enabled the collection and distribution of various products to and from the district markets in the country. Nashik is situated
and occupies a strategic position from the commercial point of view (District Gazetteer, 1975, p. 557). Railroute of national importance passes through the district. The district comes under the
Central Railway zone of Indian Railways. The district also has a good network of roads. It has national highways, state highways and district roads that connect most parts of the district
The development of means of transport shows close association with the passes in the district. Passes are comparatively low-lying areas in the hilly regions that provide access to another region. Nashik hill passes belong to two leading systems. Some of the passes run east-
west and they are across the main line of the Sahyadri hills. These are called Ghats. Another
group of passes are those that run north and south across the spurs and ranges that stretch east-
westward at right angles to the Sahyadri hills. These are called ‘Bari’ or ‘Khind’. In the Igatpuri tahsil the well known Thai Pass or popularly called Thai Ghat is located. Bombay-Agra national highway and the broadgauge railway line pass through this main pass that
connects the district to the coast in the west and to the rest of the country in the east. Besides there are number of other passes that are located in Dindori, Nashik, Peth, and Surgana tahsils of the district.
The second system of passes run in the north- south direction and they are located in five
ranges and spurs in the district. Out of these five, three are in the north and two are in the south
Chandor Pass is the most important pass in the district. It is located in the central part of the district in the Chandwad range that separates the Godavari and the Gima basins. Bombay- Agra national highway passes through this pass.
51 Thus, the Thai Pass and the Chandor Pass are the two important geographical locations that have helped the development of transport network in the Nashik district. These and other passes have been used by traders and people for many years in the district. Railway
Railways assume a lion’s share in the economic development of a region. They facilitate not only the passenger and goods traffic but provide easy access to distant markets. Nashik district is fairly well served by railways. The total length of the railways in the district is about 257 Km. Three railoutes transverse the district viz. Bombay-Bhusaval, Manmad-Daund and Manmad- Secunderabad.
1. Bombay-Bhusaval Route: This is the oldest route in the district. It passes from Igatpuri and goes upto Manmad across the eastern part of the district. It covers a distance of 200 Km In the district with thirteen stations. Out of these Nashik Road, Deolali, Lasalgaon and Manmad are the most important stations for the goods traffic.
Nashik Road: This is the important station situated at a distance of 188 Km from Bombay and is famous for its vineyards (District Gazetteer, 1975, p. 564). The whole region consists of fertile land and yields valuable products like onion, grapes, other fruits, wheat and rice. Manmad: Manmad is a junction linking Daund, Pune, Secunderabad, Madras and Banglore in the south. It is situated at a distance of about 261 Km from Bombay in a broad saddle between the two hills of Chandor on one side and Ankai-Tankai on the other. It occupies a central position in the district so far as trade and commerce are concerned. Richly fertile land growing onions, friiits and vegetables etc. exists in and around Manmad. As a result the transport of these agricultural product has been facilitated (District Gazetteer, 1^^, p. 563) 2. Manmad-Daund Route: Within Nashik district this route has a length of only 40 Km with only two stations of Yeola and Ankai. But it connects Delhi, Agra, Madras, Banglore and other southerly stationswith the district as large number of trains pass from Manmad.
3. Manmad-Kacheguda Route: This route connects Bombay, Manmad and Hyderabad as it runs in the south-easterly direction from Manmad. Within the district the length of the route is just 27
Km with three stations of Ankai, Nagarsul and Tirur. Initially it was a meter gauge route but recently it has been converted into broadgauge due to which it is extended upto Bombay via
52
Manmad. This route is important owing to tlie facilities it affords for trade and commerce with the major cities of the south (Fig 2.17).
Roads
Nashilc district has a good network of roads. The chief lines of road transport pass through Nashik and Malegaon. The district has a total length of 7105.0 Km of various categories of roads in the district:
TABLE 2 9 . CATEGORIES OF ROAD AND LENGTH OF ROADS IN NASHIK DISTRICT (1990)
CATEGORIES LENGTH OF OF ROADS ROADS (Km)
1, National Highway a. Bombay- Agra 185.0
b. Poona- Nashik 53.6
2. State Highways 686.0
3. Major District Roads 1054.0
4. Other District Roads 1210.0
5 Village Roads 3916.4
Total Length of Roads 7105.0 In the district
(Source; District Statistical Abstract, 1992)
1. National Highways. The roads that run through the length and breadth of the country are
called National Highways (N, H.). They are constructed and maintained by Public works
department of the central government. They connect capitals, cities and other highways. There are two national highways passing through the Nashik district, namely Bombay-Agra Road and Poona- Nashik Road.
a. Bombay-Agra Road: This road enters Nashik district after traversing through Thane district. From Igatpuri the road runs in a north- easterly direction throughout the Nashik district. The road
5? passes through the Thai Pass and mns parallel to railway line at some places. It traverses through Igatpuri, Nashik, Chandwad and Malegaon tahsils with a total length of 185Km. It passes through 37 places in the district by district roads and there are eleven such roads that join the highway. Important agricultural produce are transported to long distance markets by this road.
b. Pune-Nashik Road: This is another national highway in the district. It connects Bombay- Banglore national highway and Bombay-Agra national highway at Pune and Nashik respectively. The road traverses through Pune, Amhednagar and Nashik districts. The total length of the roads is 54 Km in the district. The road passes through 17 places in the district. Four district roads join this highway between Nandur-Shingote and Nashik, which enables the communication between the rural areas in Sinnar and Nashik tahsils
2. State Highways. The roads that connect the national highways, district headquarters and cities are called State Highways (S. H.). They are constructed and maintained by the state
governments. There are 14 state highways in the district. Out of these 14 roads, three state highways join the Bombay-Agra national highway while the remaining connect the interior parts
of the district with each other, the neighbouring district places and some places in Gujarat bordering the Nashik district. State highways have a length of about 686 Km in the district
3. Major District Roads: The major district roads (M D. R.) connect important centres of trade and commerce with each other and also with railways and highways. The total length of these
roads is 1054 Km in the district and most of them connect taluka places and market towns in the district.
4 Other District Roads and Village Roads: These roads are constructed and maintained by Zilla Parishad of the district. They together have a length of about 5100 Km in the district. Rural areas
of the district and remote settlements in the district are connected by these roads. Other district
roads are mostly metalled and can be used throughout the year but village roads are mostly unmetalled, narrow roads.
54 2.2.5 POPULATION
The first official enumeration of the Nashilc district population was carried out in 1872 and official records are available from 1901 onwards. These records show that considerable changes have occurred in the distribution and density of population in the district. The district also shows wide differences in the tahsilwise distribution of population. An attempt has been made here to review the present distribution of population in the district. The district has a total population of 38,51000, according to 1991 census. The density of population is 248 persons per square kilometer but there are significant variations within different parts of the district. For instance, the Nashik tahsil has the density of 707 persons per square kilometer while Surgana has just 130 persons per square kilometer. The rural-urban ratio of population shows that the district has 64.5% of rural population and 35 .5% of urban population. Nashik tahsil has 82% of urban population which is mainly due to Nashik city, and Deolali cantonment in the tahsil. Peth, Dindori, Surgana, Kalvan, have no urban population but they have 100% of rural population only. Other tahsils also have very high percentage of rural population ranging from 80 to 90%
This means that due to the cities like Nashik and Malegaon, the district shows a high percentage of urban population (35 .5%). The percentage of rural population suggests that large number of people are engaged in agriculture. According to the census report the district is classified as urban district and ranks fourth in the state. As percentage of rural population is more-except
Nashik tahsil the district can be said to be rural. The tahsilwise density of population and the rural-urban ratio of population brings out important information about the population of the Nashik district
55 TABLE 2 10 : NASHIK DISTRICT: POPULATION (1961- 1991;
TAHSIL 1961 1971 1981 1991
NASHIK 327281 424590 626777 895000
PETH 68425 82380 98963 128000
DINDORl 112110 136883 163928 208000
SURGANA 58247 69719 82841 109000
KALVAN 99593 124328 156987 199000
BAGLAN 153470 197102 243341 296000
MALEGAON 313008 426194 517355 627000
CHANDWAD 96931 117332 133171 165000
NANDGAON 121211 146338 169449 203000
YEOLA 103326 126855 147853 188000
NIPHAD 154990 216641 291669 357000
SINNAR 133403 163602 193078 229000
IGATPURl 113251 137257 167227 202000
DISTRICT 1855246 2369221 2991739 3851000
d So U R cs : Oistir-ict ColUctoTHfe.
The table given below shows that there is an increase in density of population in the district from 1961 to 1991. All the tahsils show similar trend. Nashik tahsil has the highest density of population and Malegaon tahsil stands second in all the years under consideration.
Rate of increase in density is remarkable in Nashik tahsil while Malegaon tahsil shows slow rise in density of population. Lowest density of population is found in Surgana tahsil and next comes
Peth tahsil. Niphad tahsil stands third after Nashik and Malegaon in the density of population.
Except these three tahsils all the remaining tahsils have less than 200 persons per square kilometer of density of population.
56 TABLE 2.11: NASHIK DISTRICT: DENSITY OF POPULATION (1961 - 1991 AND PERCENTAGE OF RURAL- URBAN POPULATION (1991)
TAHSIL DENSITY OF POPULATION RURAL- URBAN PER SQKM. P0PULAT10N%
1961 1971 1981 1991 RURAL URBAN
NASHIK 244 335 495.5 707 18.1 81.9
PETH 78 88 106 137 100 00
DINDORI 88 103 124 157 100 00
SURGANA 72 83 99 130 100 00
KALVAN 90 104 117 167 100 00
BAGLAN 95 122 150 183 90.8 9.2
MALEGAON 162 220 268 347 47.1 52.9
CHANDWAD 102 122 139 172 90.1 9.9
NANDGAON 109 134 146 186 59.6 40,4
YEOLA 98 120 130 177 81.4 17.2
NIPHAD 144 206 277 339 84.0 16.0
SINNAR 100 122 144 171 88.2 11.8
IGATPURI 117 134 164 198 81.2 18.8
DISTRICT 119 152 191 248 64.5 35.5 TOTAL
(Source: Compiled by the Author from District census
Handbook 1981 and District Collectorate Office)
The district has 20 towns, which include important towns like Ozar(mig), Pimpalgaon Baswant, Lasalgaon and Manmad. There are large market yards at Lasalgaon and Pimpalgaon Baswant especially famous for trading of onions, garlic and grapes Ozar(mig) and Deolali
57 cantonment have Air Force station, Hindustan Aeronautic Ltd and Artilary centre respectively
Manmad is an important railway junction with offices and store houses of Food Corporation of India and Bharat Petroleum Ltd. Malegaon is the important centre for textile industry.
With respect to literacy the district has 45% of literate population in 1991 which is very close to state literacy (47%). Literacy is high in urban areas (63%) and it is significantly low in rural areas (36%). Female literacy is low in general but it is much low in rural areas (23%).
The percentage of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes is also significant. They contribute 6.21% of population in the district but their distribution is very uneven. Out of the total SC/ST population 72% is found in rural areas and 23% is in urban areas. This population is
highly concentrated in three tahsils of Peth, Surgana and Igatpuri. Dindori and Kalvan also have
significant population of scheduled caste and scheduled tribes
58