Geography of Malegaon

Geometrical Location on Malegaon

This city is the administrative headquarters of the subdivision called Malegaon in the Nashik district of the state of Maharashtra. The city has its location at latitude 20' 32' North and the longitude 72' 35' East. The height of Malegaon is 478.44 meters above sea level and it is located on the Mumbai - Agra National Highway No: 3 that lie at a distance of about 116 kilometers, north east from Nashik.

Towards the north, Malegaon is surrounded by the Dhule district, by the Jalgaon district in the North-East, in the South-West direction lies the Nandgaon district, Satana in the east and the Chandwal Taluka in the South.

Climate and Weather Conditions in Malegaon

Malegaon lies at a distance of 350 kilometers from the Arabian Sea towards the eastern part of the Sahyadri range. This is the reason why the climate in Malegaon is very hot during the summers, quite cold during the winters and it is humid during the rainy season. Severe conditions of the weather are experienced during the winter and the summer seasons.

Malegaon is basically a monsoon region experiencing summer from March to May, rainy season from June to October and the winter season from November to February. May is the hottest month while December and January are the coldest months of the year in Malegaon. Temperature goes up to 44 degrees Celsius in May and as low as 5 degrees Celsius in December and January. Malegaon does not receive much rain because of the fact that it is situated on the leeward side of the Sahyadri ranges. The weather is 70% dry in Malegaon except during the rainy season where winter is dryer that the other seasons experienced in the city. During the other seasons of the year the maximum dryness experienced in the weather ranges between 25% and 25% which is quite good and comfortable.

Physical Features of Malegaon

Malegaon possesses exceptional physical features in comparison to the other cities of Maharashtra. The Sahyadri Mountains lie towards the western part of Malegaon and even the Chandwal and the Vani hill ranges. Towards the south - west of Malegaon city lie the Satmala ranges. The tehsil of Malegaon and Chandwal are divided by the Rahul Ghat.

National Highway 3 i.e. Mumbai - Agra Highway passes through Satmala ranges in the west and Chandwal. The Taluka named Baglan is situated towards the upper part of the western side of the city of Malegaon. The city of Satana of the Baglan Taluka lies on Malegaon boundary. The Galna ranges in Malegaon lie from the east to the west. One-third part of the Galna range lies in the city of Malegaon. Dhule is located towards north, while the Lalling and the Arvi ranges divide the city of Malegaon from Khandesh in the east. Malegaon is divided from Nandgaon by the Panjan River. Various land forms found in a particular area make up the physical features of that area. If the physical features of Malegaon are to be taken into account, then one would find two divisions:

• Sahyadri Mountain Region
• Mosam and Girna River basin regions.

The entire area of Malegaon is leveled and there are no differences found in levels except certain areas along the Girnar and Mousam river banks. The Mosam River flows from the north towards the south while River Girna flows from west to east. The Girna River touches the southern portion of the city of Malegaon while River Mosam divides the city into two parts. The part lying towards the east of Mosam River is the Malegaon village and the path towards the west of the Mosam River is Sangameshwar village and Malegaon Camp. Towards the southern end of the city of Malegaon, River Mosam merges into the Girna River.

Natural Resources of Malegaon

The soil fertility is more in the central part of Malegaon than the hilly areas. Cultivation is widely practiced in the valleys of the Mosam, Panjan, Parsul and Girna rivers. Some small and big forests are found close to the Lalling hills in the east, Galna ranges in the north, Satmala ranges close to Manmad and Chandwal border and Satana in the west.

The main types of soil found in Malegaon include brown soil, black soil and medium soil. Igneous rocks from the valley of the Sahyadri ranges that cover the entire area ranging from the Galna fort to the Satmala ranges. This is the reason why the soil in this region is soft and black which serves to be very useful for the purpose of cultivation.

Medium soil is found in the central part of Malegaon. Medium soil is also found on both the sides of the Mosam and the Girna rivers. This soil is useful for the purpose of irrigation. The plains cover the eastern part of the city of Malegaon whereas the middle part of the city from the Daregaon hill to the Lalling area is completely barren. Hard soil is found in this region, which serves to be a very great problem for land cultivation. Small hills cover the entire land in this region.

Dams and Canals in Malegaon

The main dam found in Malegaon is the Chankapur Dam that has been constructed on River Mosam at a place called Vani in the Kalwan Taluka. This dam serves to be the single source of drinking water supply to entire Malegaon but its capacity is not much that can support the water supply requirements of the people of Malegaon. This is the reason why, another water supply scheme is being constructed on the Girna dam.

The Girna Dam is another important dam found in Malegaon and it has been constructed across River Girna close to the Panjan village. The Girna dam is also the largest dam in Malegaon. The measurement of the catchment area of Girna dam is 1,826 square miles and the dam irrigates around 1.06 lakh acres of land. Maximum of the irrigated land cover of the Girna Dam falls under the Jalgaon and the Dhule areas.