District Buldhana
Information-
Buldhana district is one of the eleven districts of Vidarbha and is located in the eastern part of the state of Maharashtra. Buldhana district is formed on 17 February 1893.District headquarter is Buldhana city. The district is divided into 6 sub-divisions Buldhana, Mehkar, Malkapur, Khamgaon, Jalgaon Jamod, and Sindkhed Raja. Those are further divided into 13 talukas of Buldana. And to the north is the Nimad province of Madhya Pradesh. Buldhana district is situated in the basin of river Tapi and Godavari River. Purna is a tributary of river Tapi. Nalganga River is a tributary of Purna River. Painganga and Purna are the main rivers of Buldhana district. The source of the Pain Ganga is in the Deulghat hills near the Northern edge of the Buldhana.
Geomorphology, drainage and soil types
The region can be broadly divided into three physical components, namely the Satpura,ranges, Purna plains and the Ajantha range. The altitude of the area ranges between 240-567 m above sea level. 1) HDP-a, soil cover is negligible in the southern part of the area, 2) HDP-b, isolated patches have little soil cover. Upper Plateau—Moderately Dissected (MDP) covers almost the entire area depending on the climate and amount of soil cover. 1) MDP-a, covering 20-30% of the area with bare rock and thin soil cover. 2) MDP-b, mainly covers 60-70% area with moderate soil cover and rock exposure. 3) MDP-c, found in isolated patches in southern areas with moderate to high soil cover. All the rivers have a sub-parallel semi dendritic drainage pattern which is controlled by bed rock structure formed by Deccan basalt lava flows. The district is divided into 57 watersheds based on geomorphological setting and drainage pattern.
Climate and Rainfall-
Short-term rainfall data (1998-2018) of rain gauge stations located at taluka headquarters were collected from available sources and various types of statistical analysis were performed to understand rainfall characteristics.
In the month of May, the average maximum temperature is 42.2 °C and the minimum is 15.10 °C. The average rainfall of the district during 47 to 50 rainy days under normal conditions is 785.9 mm.
Geology-
The area is divided into two stratigraphic units namely Alluvium and Deccan Trap basalt formations. The generalized geological sequence in the area is dominated by recent fluvial sediments and basaltic lava flows known as the Deccan Traps of Late Cretaceous to Eocene age. The Deccan Lava is divided into the Satapuda Ghats in the northern part and the Sahyadri Group in the southern part. The Late to Quaternary sedimentary cover is confined to the banks of the Purna River and consists of sand, silt, clay and sand.
Geo-hydrological conditions-
Dominant rock in the district is the Deccan Trap Basalt of Upper Cretaceous to Lower Eocene age which covers the entire district. Although, alluvium occurs along the major rivers of the district, it does not form a potential aquifer except locally. Deccan basalts are hydrogeologically homogeneous rocks. Weathered and jointed/fractured sections of rock form areas of groundwater storage and flow. Basalts are characterized by the existence of multiple aquifers and exhibit wide variation in joint/fracture patterns and intensity. The yield of wells is a function of the permeability and transmissinity of the aquifer and depends on the degree of weathering, the severity of joint fractures, and the topographic setting of the aquifer.
Shallow aquifers are typically tapped by dug wells 8 to 30 m deep, with water levels ranging from 3 to 30 m bgl and production ranging from 25 to 75 m3/day. Deep aquifers are being tapped through borewells with depths ranging from 45 to 168 m bgl and water levels from 4 to 100 m bgl.
Culture-
Buldhana is home to many historical and touristic places, Buldhana is the birthplace of Rajmata Jijau in Sindkhed Raja Buldhana district and is a place of worship in entire Maharashtra. The world famous Lonar Sarovar is located here and is a place of geological and tourist attraction. such as the Balaji Temple at Rajur Ghat, a replica of the famous Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala. Another important religious site is the Shree Gajanan Maharaj Temple at Shegaon, which is about 75 km away.