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Research Paper | Geography | India | Volume 12 Issue 7, July 2023
The Rainfall Regime and its Variability in the Malaprabha River Basin of Karnataka State, India
Abstract: Among the climatic elements, rainfall is the first index ever thought of by farmers and climatic analyzers, as it is the most important single factor that determines the cropping pattern of an area in general and the type of crop to be cultivated and its success or failure. Information on the spatial variability and temporal trends of mean rainfall is essential for efficient management of water resources in general and agriculture. We have analyzed the rainfall data of the Malaprabha river basin, a larger river sub - basin in the Krishna basin, South India, which plays a significant role in agricultural development and, accordingly, in the overall development of some talukas of Belagavi, Bagalakot, Dharwad, and Gadag districts of Karnataka state. The impact of climate change on spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall over smaller spatial scales is clearly noticed in this analysis. Monthly, seasonal, and annual rainy days and rainfall data series of the Malaprabha basin were computed using daily rainfall data from 1971 to 2013 from fifty - eight rain gauge stations located in and around the talukas of the Malaprabha river basin. It was followed by the computation of the mean monthly, seasonal, and annual Standard Deviation (SD), Standard Error (SE), and Coefficient of Variation (CV) through the SPSS package. The statistical methods adopted by Bhargava (1977) are used for the analysis of annual mean rainfall, rainfall intensity, rainfall variability, and rainfall ratio. The coefficient of variation indicates the amount of fluctuation in rainfall recorded over a long period of time from the mean values. Temporal changes in the monthly, seasonal, and annual rainfall were also analyzed by a one - way ANOWA test to confirm the significance of the observed trends. Overall, an insignificant decrease in annual rainfall over the Malaprabha river basin has been observed during the study period.
Keywords: Rainfall distribution, Variability, Trend, ANOWA test and River basin
Edition: Volume 12 Issue 7, July 2023,
Pages: 1431 - 1444