MAHARASHTRA FOREST DEPARTMENT

Western Maharashtra Sanctuary

Seven districts of Western Maharashtra namely Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Pune, Nasik, A'nagar, Solapur are known as Western Maharashtra. This region is surrounded by rivers Krishna, Bhima, Sina and Godawari. Total region is approximately 563 Km long. The average rainfall in this region is about 608 mm - 635 mm, except in Ahmednagar, Sholapur and eastern part of Pune district such as Shirur and Parner The average annual rainfall in western ghats area exceeds 300o mm. Climate of Western Maharashtra is hot and dry. Humidity is very poor which rarely exceeds 60% at any time of the year. The average height of Sahyadri hills in Western Maharashtra is 1200 m. The highest range at Kalsubai is 1646m. Soils of Western Maharashtra are slight alkaline or black cotton type which are deep black or reddish in colours. In river valleys they are alluvial in composition. The soils in Mavals are similar to Konkan areas which are laterite and gravelly. Due to variation in topography and soils, the vegetation of Western Maharashtra varies in its composition. However the forests are mostly of dry deciduous type and scrub jungles, interspersed with semi-evergreen vegetation in some area on Sahyadri. The richness and variety of floral wealth is reflected in its rich and diversified faunal wealth, which is preserved in ten wildlife sanctuaries, distributed in different parts of Western Maharashtra.