Kolhapur-District

About Kolhapur

Goddess Ambabai (Mahalaxmi) of Kolhapur is found in almost every Maharashtrian household. Pioneer social reformer, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, ruled with the object of uplifting the downtrodden. Places like Panhala, Jyotibha, Vishalgad, Nrusinhwadi and Bahubali attract tourists from all corners of India. Warna, the first Wired Village in India, is a distinctive feature of this district. Peasants’ cooperatives dominate the district’s economy. Wrestlers of Kolhapur were legends once upon a time. Home to fine arts like music, painting and cinema, Kolhapur has remained in the vanguard of industrial innovations even today. It is among the very few districts in the country to enjoy water availability throughout the year, thanks to the Radhanagari dam constructed by Rajashri Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj nearly a century ago.

The district is bounded by Sangli on the north, Ratnagiri on the northwest, Sindhudurg on Southwest and Belgaum on the south and the east. From a geographical point of view the Varna in the north forms a common boundary between it and Sangli; in the north-east the rivers Krishna and Dudhaganga run between it and Belgaum; and in the west the Sahyadrian water-shed largely separates it from Ratnagiri. 

Rainfall & Climate –

The district gets rain from the south-west as well as the north-east monsoons. July is the month of maximum rainfall throughout the district. The average rainfall in Kolhapur district is 1963.60 mm. It is seen that the amount of rain decreases from west to east. The district is in the Assured Rainfall Zone. On the basis of rainfall returns for a series of years, three broad divisions may be defined;

(i) The Western Zone, receiving heavy rainfall and comprising the talukas of Gaganbawda, Radhanagari, Panhala, Bhudargad, Shahuwadi, Chandgad and Ajra which receives of about 1665.23mm to 5597.67mm average annual rainfall.

 (ii) The Central Zone, receiving moderate but fairly regular rainfall and comprising Karvir, Gadhinglaj and Kagal talukas which receives of about 871.52mm to 1071.71mm average annual rainfall; and

(iii) The Eastern Zone, receiving irregular and uncertain rainfall and comprising the talukas of Hatkanangle and Shirol, which receives maximum rainfall of 746.15 mm and the minimum rainfall is 644.21 mm.

In the western part of Kolhapur near the Sahyadris it is always cooler than that in the eastern part which is liable to hot winds during April and May. The nights over the whole district are generally cool due to the influence of the sea breezes which set in during the afternoons and continue till late in the evening. The year in respect of Kolhapur district may be divided into three periods as follows:

• Hot Weather Period -From March to May
• Rainy Period- From June to October
• Cold Weather Period- From November to February

PHYSICAL SETTING, RELIEF AND DRAINAGE

Kolhapur district’s physical landscape is mainly shaped by the Deccan ‘trap’ rock formations, characterized by basaltic lava flows. It lies on the Deccan plateau at an average elevation of 1,800 feet, with the Sahyadrian Scarp marking its western boundary. The district features several hill ranges that extend eastward or north-eastward from the Sahyadris, with flat-topped peaks and steep escarpments, typical of ‘Lava’ topography. These ranges rise 1,000 to 1,500 feet above valley floors and are formed through long-term erosion of the horizontally laid lava flows. The step-like terraces and flat plateaus, often capped with laterite, are a prominent feature, and this landscape is known as ‘trape’ topography. Some areas, like Ajra, show slight changes due to different underlying rocks.

The drainage pattern of Kolhapur district is influenced by the Sahyadri range, dividing eastern and western streams. Western streams flow swiftly down the scarp, becoming sluggish in the Konkan, while plateau rivers like Warna, Panchaganga, Dudhganga, Vedaganga, and Hiranyakeshi drain the district towards the Krishna River. These rivers follow varied directions and share a monsoonal flood regime, creating fertile floodplains. The Krishna River controls the drainage, with tributaries like Panchaganga and Dudhaganga joining it, marking the district’s boundaries.

HILL RANGES.

SAHYADRIAN SCARP AND THE CREST

The Sahyadrian Crest in Kolhapur is a broken ridge, marked by stream erosion, with heights ranging from 2,000 to 3,300 feet. It divides the eastern and western drainage. The western scarp has been eroded by Konkan streams, causing the crest to retreat eastward, leaving dissected hills. The crest features truncated valleys, which have been captured by Konkan streams, allowing for better monsoonal rainfall and human access. Eastern ranges like the Vishalgad-Panhala range and Phonda-Sangaon range have flat summits, intense gully erosion, and many gaps that facilitated human settlement and strategic use. The central and southern ranges, such as the Kagal and Bhudargad ranges, share similar features but are more eroded. The residual hill ranges, formed from Deccan lavas, are characterized by rounded peaks, structural benches, and sparse populations, with agricultural settlements near the hill-valley junctions.

GEOLOGY

The geological formations met with, in the descending order of their antiquity, are as follows:

The Kolhapur district’s geology includes Archaean Dharwar phyllites and amphibolites, weathered into clays, and granite-gneiss in small inliers. The Lower Kaladgi series, unconformably resting on these rocks, consists of conglomerates, quartzites, and shales, forming well-bedded layers with occasional conglomerates. The Deccan trap, a thick basaltic lava formation, overlies the Kaladgi beds and forms plateaus with spheroidal weathering. Laterite caps the plateau tops, particularly at altitudes above 3,000 feet, with thickness varying from 20 to 100 feet. The region is rich in bauxite, particularly in the Radhanagari, Panhala, and Amboli-Ghat areas. Building materials like Kaladgi sandstones, quartzites, and Deccan trap are widely used in construction, while laterite is common in old forts. The district also has small deposits of copper, gypsum, iron, and kaolin, though these have limited economic value.

Hydrogeology

Deccan Traps

In the Basaltic Terrain, in parts of Kolhapur district, the ground water occurs under un- confined conditions in the phreatic zone up to the depth of 15.00 m in the weathered zone, joints and fractures in the massive formation, and weathered vesicular formation. The water bearing strata below the red bole and massive formation exhibits mild confined conditions as observed in the borewells tapping deeper aquifers. In the laterite’s plateaus, the ground water occurs down to a depth of 15.00 to 20.00 m. bgl under un-confined conditions. The wells of these areas show rapid decline in water level during post monsoon period and practically go dry in peak summer, due to lateral movement at lithomargic/lateritic contact and spring discharge is noticed.

Laterites

Laterites in Kolhapur good porosity due to network of sinuous conduits making it porous formations. The Ground Water circulates through a network of voids and conduits, joints and fractures. The lithomargic clays occurring at the base act as aquiclude for percolating ground water, and springs emerge at this contact due to lateral movement of ground water.

Alluvium

Due to hilly terrain, conspicuous spreads of Alluvium are rarely noticed, except in some lower reaches of rivers. Few isolated patches of recent Alluvium varying in thickness from 3.00m to 5.00 m are seen at places along the banks of the River Krishna and Warana. The Alluvium rests directly over the weathered basalt and comprises of pebbles, boulders and fragments of clayey and siliceous material.

The Alluvium deposits in the area have primary porosity due to inter granular pore spaces making sands and gravels a good water bearing formations. But their irregular lithological nature results in variable water yielding capacity, depending on the sand/clay ratio.