Question map
Which of the following statements with regard to rainfall in India is/are correct ? 1. Most of the rainfall in India is due to the south-west monsoon. 2. In South India, rainfall decreases away from the Eastern Ghats. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct as the South-West monsoon is the primary source of precipitation in India, contributing approximately 75% of the country's total annual rainfall during the months of June to September [t6][t8]. Statement 2 is incorrect because rainfall in South India does not simply decrease away from the Eastern Ghats. Instead, the most significant rainfall gradient in South India is associated with the Western Ghats, where heavy rainfall occurs on the windward (western) side and decreases sharply on the leeward (eastern) side, creating a rain-shadow area [c1][c2]. While the Eastern Ghats do influence local weather, they are discontinuous and do not act as a primary moisture barrier for the South-West monsoon in the same way. In fact, during the South-West monsoon, rainfall generally increases as one moves from the interior rain-shadow regions toward the eastern coast due to cyclonic activity and moisture from the Bay of Bengal branch [t4][t9].
Sources
- [1] https://mausam.imd.gov.in/imd_latest/monsoonreport2024.pdf
- [2] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate > Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) > p. 30
- [3] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate > Monsoon Winds of the Arabian Sea > p. 35