Hansa is a village in Raniganj block, which belongs to the Araria subdivision of Araria district in north-eastern Bihar. The Government of Bihar’s district profile gives the district’s average rainfall as 1,608 mm and names the Kosi, Suwara, Kali, Parmar, and Koli as its main rivers. Most of that rain comes in the monsoon. In the monthly figures of the district’s agriculture contingency plan, July is the wettest month, at 471 mm. The south-west monsoon normally begins in the third week of June and ends in the third week of September.
Rice, Jute, and the Rains
Rice is the largest kharif crop in the district, on 96,000 hectares, and jute follows on 34,500. Jute takes 90 to 100 days and is harvested between May and July, which puts its sowing in the spring months. Wheat, the main rabi crop, covers 51,000 hectares, and maize a smaller 7,000. These crop areas date from 2009-10. Many fields carry two crops in the year. Soils are mostly sandy to sandy loam, and bore wells supply nearly half of the irrigated area.
A Calendar of Hazards
Four weather events are recorded in the contingency plan for Araria district:
- Heat waves in May and June
- Floods in August
- Cold waves in December and January
- Frost in January and February
The cold months are also the months when wheat is in the field. Irrigation is the measure listed most often. It is named for rice, maize, brinjal, and tomato in heat waves, and for wheat, maize, and potato in cold waves, with mulching and inter-culture added. Rice and maize fields waterlogged by heavy rain are drained, and harvested grain is moved to higher ground after floods. A spell of two weeks with less than 2.5 mm of rain counts as long, and life-saving irrigation is listed for rice and maize at that point.
If the monsoon is two weeks late, it starts in the first week of July. If it is eight weeks late, it starts in the third week of August. The suggested crop or variety changes as the delay lengthens.
A Forecast for Tomorrow
A weather Hansa forecast for tomorrow gives temperature, wind, and rainfall hour by hour, from midnight to late evening. Rainfall is in millimeters, the unit of the monthly figures above. MeteoFlow, a weather service built on satellite data, global models, and local stations, lists Barbana, Basaithi, and Majhua among the places near Hansa. Like Hansa, all three are villages of Raniganj block.
Households and Livestock
For cattle and poultry, heat waves call for shade and ventilation, with feeding in the cooler hours of the early morning and evening. In cold waves, animals are given jute covering and proper bedding. These measures are listed for the district as a whole.
Takeaways
Heat in May and June, rain from late June, floods in August, and cold in December and January make up the calendar of the year in Araria district. July is the single wettest month, and wheat grows through the cold months. A forecast for tomorrow is read against that calendar.
