Geography and Climate
Geographically, this tract of land is mostly mountainous and hilly, interspersed with rivers and valleys. Rivers Mahanadi and Brahmani are the major rivers flowing through Kosal region. Tributaries of river Mahanadi that flow through this region are Ib, Jeera, Ang and Tel. Western Orissa has many mountains, chief mountain peaks among them are Bankasam (1275 metres.), Tangri Donger (1229 metres.), Baphlimali (1220 metres.), Karlapat plateau (1213 metres.) in Kalahandi district, Champaghara (1257 metres.), Murali soru (1223 metres.), Doda soru (1157 metres.) in Kandhamal district, Nrusinghnath (786 metres.) in Bargarh district, Debrigarh (680 metres,)in Sambalpur district, Badpati of Loisingha (690 metres.) in Balangir district, Mankadnacha of Bonai (1090 metres.) in Sundargarh district, Katpar of Khariar (970 metres.) in Nuapada district. Some natural falls of Western Orissa are Khandadhar (369 metres.) in Sundagarh district, Pradhanpat in Deogarh district, Nrusinghnath (75 metres.) in Bargarh district, Phurli jharan (16 metres) in Kalahandi district, Harishankar in Balangir district etc. Nearly 50% of the area of Western Orissa is covered by forest. Highest forest coverage is in Kandhamal district, which is nearly 70%. Main forest products are Kendu leaf, Bamboo, Timber and Firewood.
Climate - The floral diversity and topographical variety ensure the experience of all the six seasons in this area. Western Orissa experiences five seasons prominently, namely, Summer, Rainy, Autumn, Winter and Spring. Spring season is short lived. Summer season is generally from 1 April to end of June. During summer season the climate is generally very hot and dry. In the month of May, mercury shoots above 45 °C in places like Titilagarh in Balangir district, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda district. In other areas of Western Orissa, highest day temperature remains between 40 °C and 45 °C. Rainy season is in the month of July and August, during which, the area experiences moderate rainfall, which varies from 115 to 145 cms from place to place. In winter season, which is generally in the months of December and January, minimum temperature comes down to 4 °C in places like Daringbadi in Kandhamal district and Tensa in Sundargarh district. Sometimes, these two places experiences mild snowfall during night. Other areas remain moderately cold, with minimum temperature varying from 9 °C to 15 °C. In the last few decades, western Orissa has suffered from repeated drought. and it is considered the poorest region in India.
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