Mountain Ranges in India
In proximity to the eternal waters of the Arabian Sea, and along the Malabar Coast in south India, lies an ancient realm of mountain ranges, the Western Ghats or the Sahyadris. Wrapped within dense greenery is the world that teems with bizarre yet beautiful life!
Western Ghats comprises the beautiful range of mountains that lie along the west coast of India, separating the Deccan Plateau from the coastal strip alongside the Arabian Sea. It is basically a broken extension of the Deccan Plateau that was possibly created during the breaking up of the Gondwana continent. This mountain range commences from the south of the River Tapti, bordering Maharashtra and Gujarat. The Western Ghats has a length of about 1600 km and runs through the states of Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, culminating at Kanyakumari, the south of the peninsular India. The ranges cover an approximate area of about 60,000 square kilometer, with an approximate elevation of 1200m. .
The Western Ghats in the state of Maharashtra extends from the Satpuras in the north and passing through Goa, it goes till Karanataka. The 2 major peaks in this region are Kalsubai, and Salher with a height of about 1646 m and 1567 m, respectively. Several passes and gaps can be found at the Western Ghats, popular among them being the Bhor Ghat and the Thal Ghat. On the south of the Western Ghats lies the Nilgiri hill that happens to be the meeting point of the Eastern and the Western Ghats.
2 of the highest peaks in the Nilgiris are the Dodabetta and Makurti, with a height of about 2637 m and 2554 m respectively. In the south of the Nilgiris lies the Palghat gap that stretches from east to west of the mountain ranges. Having 24km width, the Palghat gap serves as a comfortable passageway across the beautiful Western Ghats. Cardamom and Palni hills also lie in the south of the Nilgiris. The coastal plain in between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats is called in the north, the Konkan Coast, while in the south it is know as the Malabar Coast. Pune happens to be the largest city in between these mountain ranges.
Climate and Rainfall in the Western Ghats
The lower parts of the Western Ghats experience a tropical and humid climate. Regions with an approximate elevation of 1500m and more in the north and 2000m or more in the south experience a moderate climate. The mean temperature fluctuates from 24 degree Celsius in the northern side to about 20 degree Celsius in the southern side. Winds play an essential part in the seasonal cycle of the Western Ghats. In the summers, winds bring monsoons in the region while in the winters; the winds offer a calm and comfortable effect. In the months of June to September that is during the monsoons, Western Ghats interrupt the path of the heavy rain bearing clouds moving eastward as a result of which, the windward side receives more rainfall of about 3000 mm to 4000 mm with few extremes leading to 9000 mm. The east of the Western Ghats, however, is the rain-shadow area with an average rainfall of 1000mm.
Rivers in the Western Ghats
The drainage system at the Western Ghats mainly comprises the perennial rivers of the Indian peninsula. Rivers flowing westward such as the Krishna River, Godavari River and Kaveri River flow into Arabian Sea. The Zuari River, Mandovi River and Periyar River moving eastwards flows into the Bay of Bengal. Few rivers also drain into the backwaters of Kerala and Maharashtra. Kabini River, Kallayi River, Chittar River, Malaprabha River, Bhima River, Pachaiyar River, Manimuthar River, Kundali River, Pennar River, and the Tambaraparani River are among the other small rivers in the Western Ghats. The Parambikulam Dam in Kerala, Koyna Dam in Maharashtra, and the Linganmakki Dam in Karnataka are among the important reservoirs in the region.
People in the Western Ghats
That which runs parallel and matches the amazing diversity of the animal and plant life, is the cultural heritage, customs and traditions prevalent among the people in the Western Ghats. You can find people from varied religious and along with the indigenous groups of people such as the Todas.
The people in the Western Ghats have for generations used the wild, local plants to develop crops. This consists of grains like barley, rice, and finger millet, spices like cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and nutmeg and fruits such as garcinia, banana, mango, and jackfruit.
Western Ghats: Biodiversity Hotspot
Biodiversity is the huge assortment of microorganisms, animals and planst coexisting in order to create some ecological communities. The Biological diversity doesn’t happen to be evenly distributed all across the Earth. 34 global ‘hotspots’ have been identified by the Conservation biologists. Although about 2.3% of the earth’s area is occupied by the hotspots, yet these hotspot destinations are home to more than 50% of vascular plants and over 42% of terrestrial vertebrates. These small portions of biodiversity hotspots are immensely essential as they are home to about 75% of the most threatened birds, mammals and amphibians on the Earth.
The Western Ghats serves as 1 of the top 10 biodiversity hotspots on the earth. The number of animal and bird species occurring in the Western Ghats is very high. The mountains are home to more than 1700 endemic species of plants, 14 endemic species of mammals and abundant endemic reptiles and amphibians species, all at such a region, which has lost almost 80% of the initial forest cover. The Western Ghats are therefore considered among the cherished ecological locations in the earth. The main ecosystems of the Western Ghats consist of the tropical wet evergreen forests in Radhanagari and Amboli, the moist deciduous forests in Mulsi, the montane evergreen forests in Bhimashanker and Mahabaleshwar and the scrub forests in Mundunthurai. The vegetation of the Western Ghats will offer you a diverse variety ranging from scrub jungles to grasslands, moist deciduous forests to evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. 2 important areas of multiplicity in the region are the Agashyamalai hills and the Silent Valley. Owing to comprehensive landscape and heavy rainfall, certain areas in the region are inaccessible, which in turn has helped in the preservation of the variety in the region. One can find in the Western Ghats, numerous ranges of species of plants. A large range of flowering plant species of the country are found in this region. Among the 450 plants that are found here, about 40 percent are well-known and important since they have completely been acclimating to the climate.
An equal diversity is also provided by the wildlife in the region. The sole biodiversity reserve in the Western Ghats happens to be the Nilgiri biodiversity reserve that promotes the conservation of endangered and endemic species. The Ghats also have few national parks such as the Borivali National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Bandipur National Park, Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary and the Periyar National Park in Kerala. You can trace here leopards, elephants, sloth bears, tigers, barking deer, mouse deer, rare lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, spotted deer, and the giant squirrel and birds such as fairy bluebirds, hornbills and racket tailed drongos, gaur, lion-tailed macaque and many more!
Western Ghats: The Disappearing Heritage!
With an ever-increasing rise in the number of people who depends on the mountain resources, the vast cultural and biological diversity of the Western Ghats are under immense stress. Like many other ecosystems, modernization has taken a toll of this region as well. This has resulted in the extinction of numerous species of animals and birds. The rising demand for the natural resources along with insufficient protection on the part of the Government is posing great threats to these mountains. Natural habitats in the region are fast degrading and getting fragmented into isolated, small patches, leaving behind very less space for the plants and animals to exist. The Western Ghats are hence fast losing its heritage.
