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UTTARAKHAND

Geographic position and climate

Uttarakhand state has a total geographical area of 5.348 mha, of which 64% is under forests and
merely 14% is under cultivation. The state comprises of two distinct physiographical regions viz.
Himalayan tract and sub-Himalayan tract. The Himalayan tract forms a part of the southern outer
spurs of the Himalayas comprises Almora, Uttar Kashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh
districts in Full and Nainital, Champawat, Dehradun, Haridwar and Garhwal in parts. This tract
consists of ridges of decreasing heights from more than 3500 meters to 200 m amsl. The sub-
Himalyan tract runs almost parallel to the southernmost boundary of Himalayan tract and
consists of Bhabar and Tarai zones of the sub-montaneous tract. This tract is about 20-25 km
wide and comprises Udhamsingh Nagar and southern part of Dehradun and Nainital districts.
Bhabar leads to Tarai zone that occupies the district of Udham Singh Nagar, part of Nainital
district and Haridwar. The elevation of Tarai land varies from 300 m to 600 m in this tract. In
Himalayan region temperature decreases with altitude. Rainfall is heavy in the Himalayas and
the foot hills. The areas of heaviest downpours are in the districts of Dehradun, Garhwal,
Nainital and Pithoragarh where the annual total rainfall is more than 1800 mm.

Soils

Hill Soils are formed on rocks that include garnetiferrous biotite, schists, granites, gneiss and
phyllites under cool and moist climate, and temperate forest vegetation. The soils are generally
shallow and gravelly (skeletal). Deeper soils are confined to some hill slopes and valleys and
cover approximately about 5% of the area of hill soil zone. These soils are brown to grayish
brown and dark grey in colour and moderately acidic to neutral in reaction. The major soil
limitations under rainfed agriculture are their highly porous in nature, low retention of moisture
and nutrient and moderate to severe erosion on slopes under terraced cultivation. Bhabar Soilsare
in the South immediately adjoining the outer spurs of Himalayas in a narrow east west belt of
alluvial fan deposits. They include parts of Dehradun, Garhwal and Nainital districts. Bhabar
means coarse stony and porous material. Soils are shallow with loamy sand to loam textures with
abundant quantities of gravel and stones. Tarai Soils lie in another east west belt South of Bhabar
soils and include parts of Bijnor, Garhwal, Nainital and Pilibhit districts. Unlike Bhabar, Tarai
area is covered by thick soils and is very fertile. Soils are medium to heavy textured, imperfectly
to moderately well drained, dark coloured high in organic matter.

Crops and cropping systems

The net sown area in the state is 7,88,703 ha of which 56% is irrigated. Wheat, rice, barley,
minor millet, sugarcane, potato and lentil, are the major crops of the hills. Similarly, the