Neeraj Shekhar

Origin Of Name of District : - The origin of the name of the district, Ballia, has long been a matter of dispute. It is locally said to have been derived from the name of the sage Valmiki, the celebrated hindu poet and the author of RAMAYAN, whose having resided here was commemorated, by a shrine which has long been washed away. Another belief about the origin of the name is that it has been derived from the sandy nature of the land of the place, locally known as "ballua" (balu meaning sand). Location, Boundaries, Area and Population:- Location and Boundaries:- The district is the easternmost part of the state and borders on Bihar State. It comprises an irregularly shaped tract extending westward from the confluence of the Ganga and the Ghaghra, the former separating it from Bihar in the south and the latter from Deoria and Bihar in the north and east respectively. The boundary between Ballia and Bihar is determined by the deep streams of these two rivers. It is bounded on the west by Azamgarh, on the north by Deoria, on the north-east and south-east by Bihar and on the south-west by Ghazipur. The district lies between the parallels of 25º33' and 26º11' North latitudes and 83º38' and 84º39' East longitudes. Area :- According to the District Statistics Patrica, the district had an area of 3168 sq. km. on June 2000, and occupied the 51st position in the State in respect of area. Population:- According to the census of 1991, the district occupied the 26th position in the State in respect of population which was 2262273 of which 1099966 were females. The rural areas were inhabited by 2038186 persons, 993550 being females and the urban by 224087 (females being 106416) and total sc population is 332220 in the District.
History of District as Administrative Unit:- The history of the district of Ballia begins with the year 1879. Asaf-ud-Daula, the nawab vizier of Avadh, made a formal cession of the sovereignty of the province of Benaras (Varanasi) to the East India Company in 1775. The tract was included in the zamindari of the raja and remained in his actual possession till 1794, when Raja Mahip Narayan Singh surrendered its control to the governor general. by the agreement of October 27 of that year In 1818 the pargana of Doaba, which had been a part of Bihia in district Shahabad of Bihar, was transferred to the revenue subdivision of Ghazipur which shortly afterwards was separated from Benaras (Varanasi) and became an independent district and then comprised the whole of Ballia also. In 1832 a redistribution of territory was made and pargana Sikandarpur and probably Bhadaon were assigned to Azamgarh and again in 1837 portions of Kopachit and Kharid were assigned to the same district For some time no further changes took place and the Ballia tahsil, comprising the Ballia, Doaba and Kharid parganas, formed a subdivisions of Ghazipur. on November 1,1879, a new district. that of Ballia, was created by adding to the old subdivision the parganas of Lakhnesar and Kopachit from the Rasra tahsil and those of Bhadaon and Sikandarpur from tahsil Nagra of Azamgarh. These parganas constituted a new tahsil with headquarters at Rasra. On April 10,1882 a third tahsil, Bansdih, was formed out of pargana Kharid and 225 villages of Sikandarpur, to which was given the name of Sikandarpur East. At the same time 212 villages of Kopachit were transferred to Ballia and made into the new pargana of Kopachit East. On April 1,1883, a further addition was made by uniting tappa Dhaka of paragana Zahurabad with Sikandarpur West and a year later on November 18,13 villages of Lakhnesar, lying on the right bank of the Saryu and surrounded by some villages of Ghazipur, were given back to that district. The last important change took place on March 9,1892, when 168 villages of pargana Garha, together with Saraikota of Muhammadabad, were made over to Ballia and included in the Ballia tahsil. This transfer was supplemented in July of the same year by extending the boundary of Garha so as to include the large village of Narainpur and two others. On June 9,1892 the village of Diara Khawaspur was transferred from Bhojpur in Bihar to Ballia as the Ganga had left it on the left bank and on January 9,1896, a still larger area, including the four villages of Bijapura, Sital Patti, Sheopur and Belsipah, was made over to Ballia from Bhojpur. In 1931, under the deep stream rule, 39 villages of pargana Ballia, 11 of pargana Doaba and 15 of pargana Garga lying on the banks of the Ganga were transferred from Ballia to district Bhojpur of Bihar, when 10 villages were also transferred from district Bhojpur (of Bihar) to Ballia.
In 1951 the village of Kondhia was transferred from tahsil Muhammadabad in the Ghazipur district to tahsil Rasra of district Ballia. A further change took place in 1970, when 31 villages were added to tahsil Bansdih from district Saran of Bihar and 14 villages were transferred from tahsil Bansdih to district Saran. At this time 64 villages of district Bhojpur and 3 villages to district Saran.
Subdivisions, Tahsils and Thanas:- The district has six subdivisions-Rasra, Bansdih, Ballia, Bairia, Sikanderpur, Belthra road each forming a tahsil of the same name respectively.
TOPOGRAPHY:- The district is a level plain, intersected by numerous streams. Though there are no hills, the level surface is varied because of the high banks of the great rivers and the gentle slope from the central waster shed towards the Ganga, the Ghaghra and the Saryu. There are depressions of varying depth and extent in which the drainage water collects, prior to its draining into the main systems of the river.
The district can be divided into two natural divisions: the interior upland and the lowland tract. In area the two divisions are approximately equal. The upland has an average altitude of 64 m. above sea-level and comprises the western half of the district, including the whole of the Bhadaon. Lakhnesar and Kopachit parganas, most of Sikandarpur, the interior portion of Garha and a narrow strip of land extending eastwards into the Kharid and Ballia parganas. Here the boundary is marked roughly on the south by the railway line as far as Sahatwar and then bends back in a direction generally parallel to that of the Ghaghra, close to the town of Bansdih, from which place it curves westwards and then north to Maniar, a town standing on the band of the Ghaghra. There is a second ridge of the same nature near Qutabganj but between these two spots the bed widens out into an extensive alluvial tract. In the west of Qutabganj there is another stretch of low alluvial land. continuing as far as Bilthra, where the high bank touches the river. On the south-west the tracts that are higher terminate in the valley of the Saryu, which has a deep channel of no great width. In the interior the level is only broken by scattered depressions. The soil is for the most part a light loam with a fair admixture of sand. The proportion of sand increases on the higher ridges and the soil becomes very light, though not unfertile. In the depressions the soil is mostly clay and in these tracts paddy is the chief crop. The western portion of the upland is characterized by wide stretched of user, which is very common in the Kopachit, Lakhnesar, Bhadaon parganas and part of the Sikandarpur pargana.
The lowland tract comprises the rest of the district but is far from being of a uniform character. The main distinction is between the more recent and the ancient alluvium, the former lying near the banks of the river and the latter including those land which have remained untouched for a long time and are marked by great fertility.
The surface of the lowland is usually very uneven. being scored in every direction by irregular depressions marking the old courses of the rivers, some almost resembling tributary streams and others surviving as narrow lagoons. As a rule the level is about 4.5 meters below that of the upland, though it varies from place to place.
RIVER SYSTEM AND WATER RESOURCES :- There are only three main rivers in the district : the Ghaghra, the Ganga and the Saryu.
Rivers
Ghaghra- This is a great river and flows on the northern border of the district. It has its origin in the mountains of Kumaon and is formed of the combined waters of the Chauka, the Kauriala, the Rapti and other smaller streams. During the rains it swells to a great extent and as the current becomes very strong and rapid it causes much damage to the adjoining area. The course of the river is interrupted by kankar reefs at a few places such as Turtipur. Qutubganj and Ailasgarh and the variations in the channel are continuous but the greatest changes are those which occur east of Maniar. In this part of the district the whole tract south of the river is low alluvium which gets submerged during the floods. It includes all the land north of the towns of Bansdih and Reoti. The changes made by the Ghaghra are more sudden and sweeping than those of the Ganga. The Ghaghra is much more unstable, both in its action and effects. It is generally not possible to predict its course as sometimes it confines itself to a comparatively narrow bed, at others it fans out into several channels, sometimes leaves behind it fertile deposits of land and sometimes nothing but barren and sandy waste.
Tributaries of Ghaghra- The Ghaghra receives very little drainage in this district and so its tributaries are insignificant. The first, the Haha or Ahar, is a small stream which joins the Ghaghra about 4.8 km. west of Turtipar after forming for a short distance the boundary between this district and that of Azamgarh. It rises in the Ratoi Tal in pargana Natthupar of Azamgharh and its effect on the drainage is very slight. Another tributary is a small stream, the Bahera, which falls into the Ghaghra near Maniar and drains part of Sikandarpur East. It is a small and unimportant stream and flows into the Mundiari Dah lake and then into the Ghaghra to the east of Maniar. Still another tributary is the Tengraha which is actually a backwater of the Ghaghra. It first leaves the Ghaghra a short distance east of Maniar and flowing through the northern pargana of Kharid in a tortuous course, into Doaba and rejoins the main river in the village of Chand Diara.
Ganga- The Ganga first touches the boundary of the district in the extreme south of pargana Garha where it flows between Korantadih and Buxar, each for which stands on a high bank of Kankar formation. From there its course lies through alluvial land From Buxar eastwards its course is a succession of loops and bends. The permanent banks, which are not subject to erosion, are about 15 to 30 km. apart but between these limits the course of the river is variable. At one place it encroaches on Ballia and a little further down it sweeps round, cutting into Bhojpur and depositing tracts of new alluvium on the north. The changes are great in pargana Doaba, almost the whole of which is submerged during the rains, the silt deposited being of great fertility In the district the river flows in a north-easterly direction as far as the town of Ballia and from there it turns towards the south-east and after flowing for some distance it turns north-east. Reaching Majhawa it again bends towards the south and after flowing some kilometers it turns east and flows into district Bhojpur (in Bihar).
Saryu- The chief tributary of the Ganga in this district is the Saryu which first touches the boundary of the district in pargana Bhadaon and the for several kilometers separates Ballia from Ghazipur. Near Padhanpur it enters pargana Kopachit West, afterwards flowing in a south-easterly course through Kopachit East and pargana Ballia, and joining the Ganga near Bansthana, about 5 km. west of the town of Ballia.
Other Streams- The Mangai river unites with the Saryu with the before the latter's junction with the Ganga. It enters pargana Garha from Ghazipur, about 3 km. south of Karaon. It then continues in a north-easterly direction past Narhi and several other large villages, carrying of the drainage of the upland portion of pargana Garha. The Budhi river is another tributary of the Saryu. which joins it near Batagaon. It takes its origin in a chain of jhils (in pargana Sikandarpur West) known as Basnahi Tal. It is not a very significant stream. Another stream is the Katehar Nala which carries of the overflow from Suraha Tal into the Ganga. It leaves the lake on the eastern side and then curves to the south-west, passes to the west, passes to the west of the town of Ballia and then joins the Ganga.
Lakes
Surha Tal- The most important lake in the district is the great Suraha Tal which covers a large area. Its circumference is about 25.6 km. In the deeper parts of the lake, large quantities of the weed called siwar are grown. It is drained or filled by the Katehar which connects it with the Ganga. It also receives a large amount of drainage from teh adjoining area. Two small channels on the west one of which follows the boundary of the Ballia and Kharid parganas and the other known as the Garari, which flows somewhat to the north, drainage a portion of kharid and Kopachit East, pour their water into this lake.
Other Lakes- Among other lakes the largest is the Mundiari Dah, which lies between Maniar and Mansdih. It is of a narrow, semi-circular shape, its overflow passing into the Ghaghra. At times the lake is liable to be inundated by the flood water pouring into it from the north. Reoti Dah, which lies to the west of the town of that name, also pours its water into the Ghaghra. A third lake in the Ghaghra lowlands is that of Sikandarpur, a short distance west of the town. In tahsil Ballia there is Kawal Dah to the north-east of the district headquarters. Tahsil Rasra possesses several lakes such as Garha Tal near Ratanpura and Intaura in pargana Bhadaon, about 5 km. to the west. Others are Taliji Tal to the south of Rasra, Goka Tal, a short distance north of Ratanpura, and an extensive lake near Haldi in the north of the tahsil.
GEOLOGY:- The geology of the district exposes nothing except the ordinary Gangetic alluvium. The mineral products are few being confined to the saline earth from which saltpeter and salt are produced and to the limestone conglomerate known as kankat. Saltpeter is found in the Rasra tahsil, though patches are also found elsewhere Kankar is found in all parts of the district except in Doaba and the lower tracts of pargana Ballia. At some places it is found in masse on the surface, at others at a considerable depth and at some places it exits as a solid and com pact mass but usually it occurs in small nodules, Often it takes the from of block kankar and in this shape it is quarried at Sahachaur on the road from Phephna to Rasra. It is used for road metal, for concrete and for producing lime.
SEISMOLOGY:- Ballia is situated in the area where earthquakes of slight to moderate intensity have been experienced in the past. The earthquakes which have affected the area are the Rewa earthquake of 1927 and the Bihar-Nepal earthquake of 1934, the maximum intensity experienced during the latter being VII of the Modified Marcally (MM;) SCALE (1931). The occurrence of earthquakes in Ballia district is attributed to various geological and tectonic faults such as the great Himalayan boundary fault, the Vindhyan fault and the Patna fault. In the seismic zoning map of India, Ballia lies in zone III which corresponds to the seismic intensity of VII MM.
FLORA :- There are no forests in the district but along the great rivers there are numerous expanses of sandy ground covered with jhau or tamarisk which afford cover to wide pig and other animals. A few patches of dhak (Butea monosperma) are also round in the interior of the district. The other trees which are commonly found in the district are bargad (Ficus bengalensis), mahua(Madhuka indika), neem (Azadirachta indica), pipal (Ficus religosa), bahera (Terminalia bellirica), barhal (Artocarpus lakoocha),bel (Aegle marmelos), gular (Fidcus glomerata), jamua (Syzygiumcumini), aonla (Emblidca officinalis), kathal or jack-fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) and shisham (Dalbergia sissoo). The tar or toddy palm is abundant, especially in the western parganas.
FAUNA:- Not being endowed with forests, the variety and number of wild animals is limited. The fox (Vulpus bengalensis) and jackal (Canis aurcus) are common. Wide pig (Sus secrofa) is found in the lowlands of the Ganga and Ghaghra and black buck (Antelope carricapra) in the patches of trees found along the banks of the Ganga, particularly in pargana Doaba. The nilgai (blue bull) (Boselaphus tragocamelus) is found in most parts of the district.
Birds- A variety of birds is found in the district. The most common among the game birds is the partridge (Francolines podicerionus) which occurs everywhere and is locally known as titar. Other types of partridge, such as kala titar (or black titar) are rare. Among the quails the most common are the bater (Coturnix communis) and the lava (Perdicula asiatica) which are usually found in bushes. Other birds found in the district are kabutar or pigeon (Columbia livia), fakhta or dove (Streptopelia decaoctor), pakia or turtle dove (Streptopelia chinesis), harial (Streptopelia senegalensis), peacock (Pavo cristatus), snipe or chaha (Capilla gallinago), lal sir (Netta rufina), white eyed pochard or khanjan (Aythya rufa), nil sir (Anasplaty rhynchos), seekhpar (Anas adcuta) and jal murgi (Amaurornis phoeonicusns).
Reptiles- Different varieties of snakes and other reptiles are found everywhere in the district especially in the rural areas. Some snakes are deadly, such as the cobra (styas mucosus) but the maiority is nonpoisonous. The other reptiles found in the district are the crocodile (Crocodilus palustris), monitar lizard (Varanus monitos) and python (Python molurus).
Fish- Fish are found in the rivers, lakes and ponds of the district, the species commonly found being rohu (Labeo rohita). karounch (Labeo calbasu), bata (Lubeo bata), khursa (Labeo gonius), bhakur (Catla catla). nain (Crirrihina mirgala). raiya (Cirrihina rebe), darhi (Barbus sarana), putia (Barbrbus stigma), parham (Wallagonia attu), tengra (Mystus aor), tingan (Mystus vutatus), chengna (Ophicephalus straitus), girai (Ophicephalus gachuwa), batra (Notopeternus notopeternus), moi (Notopeternus chitla), mangur (Clarious mangur), singhi (Heterepneustes fossils), chelwa (Chela bacaila). belgagra (Rita rita) and conch (Bagarious bagarious).
Game Laws- The game laws applicable to the district were governed by the Wild Birds and Animals Protection (U.P. Amendment) Act, 1934, replaced by the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which has made game laws more stringent in order to conserve wild life and prevent the extinction of certain species. The wolf (Canis lupus), crocodile, gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) and peafowl have been declared protected species and certain restrictions have been placed on the shooting of wild pig. nilgai and certain other species. The punishment for infringement of the laws has been made more deterrent.
CLIMATE:- The climate of the district is moist and relaxing except in the summer and cold seasons. The year may be divided into four seasons: the cold, which lasts from about the latter half of November to February: the hot, from March to about the middle of June; the south-west monsoon season, which constitutes the period from about the middle of June to the end of September: and the post-monsoon or transitional season which covers October and the first half of November.
Rainfall - Records of rainfall in the district are available for four stations for fairly long periods. The details of the rainfall at these stations for the district as a whole are given in Statement I which appears at the end of the chapter. The average annual rainfall in the district is 1,013.1 mm. (39.89"). About 88 per cent of the annual rainfall is received during the south-west monsoon months (June to September), August being the rainiest month. Except for the area around Sikandarpur, which gets less rainfall, the variation in the rainfall from place to place in the district is not much nor is the variation from year to year large. In the fifty-year period from 1901 to 1950, the highest annual rainfall, amounting to 154 per cent of the normal, occurred in 1911, 1932 being the year with the lowest annual rainfall which was 66 per cent of the normal. In this fifty-year period the annual rainfall was less than 80 per cent of the normal in four years, two of then being consecutive. Considering the rainfall at individual stations, two consecutive years of such low rainfall occurred twice at two of the four stations. The annual rainfall in the district was between 800 and 1,300 mm. (31.50" and 51.18") in 43 years out of the 50 mentioned above.
On an average there are 50 rainy days (days with rainfall of 2.5 mm. or more) in a year in the district. The number of rainy days is lowest in and around Sikandarpur but does not vary much in the rest of the district.
The heaviest rainfall in 24 hours recorded at any station in the distinct was 320.0 mm. (12.60")at Rasra on October 3,1884.
Temperature and Humidity - Ballia is the only place in the district where there is an observatory and meteorological records are available for only a short period for this station. The description which follows is based on these records supplemented by the records of observatories in the neighboring districts which have a similar climate. After February there is a steady increase in temperatures. May is generally the hottest month with the mean daily maximum temperature at 41.8ºC. (107.2ºF.) and the mean daily minimum at 25.4º C. (77.7º F.). On individual days the maximum temperature may reach over 47º C. With the onset of the monsoon in the district by about the middle of June, there is an appreciable drop in day temperatures but nights continue to be as warm as during the latter part of the summer. After the withdrawal of the monsoon early in October, temperatures begin to decrease, the drop being more rapid after October. January is usually the coldest month with the mean daily maximum, temperature dropping to 23.9º C. (75.0º F.) and the mean daily minimum to about 9.9º C. (49.8º F.). During the cols season, in association with passing western disturbances, cold waves affect the district and on such occasions the minimum temperature drops to 2º C. (35.6º F.).
The maximum temperature recorded at Ballia was 47.5º C. (117.5º F.) on June 9,1966. The minimum was 1.6º C. (34.9ºF.) on January 27,1964.
The relative humidity is generally high during the south-west monsoon season, being 70 per cent. The relative humidity then starts decreasing. The driest part of the afternoon is less than 30 per cent. Some details of temperature and humidity are given in Statement II (at the end of the chapter.) .
Cloudiness - During the monsoon months and for brief spells of a day or two in association with passing western disturbances, skies are generally heavily clouded or overcast. Cloudiness decreases during the post-monsoon months. During the rest of the year skies are mostly clear or lightly clouded.
Winds - Winds are generally light with some increase in force during the latter part of the summer and early part of the monsoon season. During the non-monsoon months, winds are mostly from directions between south-west and south-east begin to below and these predominate in the south-west monsoon season. On some days during the mansoon season winds blow from the west or south-west. The average annual wind speed is about 4.0 km. per hour, the maximum being 7.2 km. per hour in May and the minimum 1.6 km. per hour in November.
Special Weather Phenomena - Some of the monsoon depressions from the Bay of Bengal move in a westerly to north-westerly direction and affect the weather of district causing widespread heavy rain and gusty winds. Dust storms and thunderstorms occur during the summer season. Rain in the monsoon season is often associated with thunder. Fog occurs at times during the early part of the cold season.

Neeraj Shekhar

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