68 CHAPTER-III

STUDY DISTRICT*

1. Location

Gurgaon district lies in the extreme south-east

corner of the state of Haryana. between 2 7°39 1 2<1' and

28°32'2511 north latitude and 76°18 1 30" and 77°32•scr east

longitude (see Map:.2). It is bounded by Mahendragarh

district in the west, Rohtak district in the north-east,

Union Territory of Delhi in north and Alwar and Bharatpur

districts of Rajasthan in the south. The river Yamuna

demarcates the eastern boundary of the district and separates

it from Mathura, Aligarh and Bulandshahr districts of

Uttar Pradesh (see Map 3). The district headquarters

i.e. Gurgaon town is located.32 kms. south-west of Delhi.

With an ar~a of 4889 sq.kms. (rural area 4818.09 sq.kms.

and urban area 70.91 sq.kms.). the district ranks third in

the state, containing 11% of.the total area of Haryana state.

Due to reorganization of the district in 1972, the Rewari .. Tehsil was transferred to Mahendragarh district. Gurgaon

district was further split up into two districts namely -

Gurgaon and Faridabad with effect from 15th August, 1979.

*Data concerning the study district have been obtained from . ~he following sources: (i) Deputy Commissioner• s office, {ii) Chief Medical Officer/I?istrict Malaria Of:f:icer's office, (iii) District Public Relatio~Office (iv) District Agricul­tural office (v) District Statistical Organization (vi) Census of India, Haryana, 1971.

IN

INDI6

MAP-2.

MAP .J: A PHYSIOGRAPHIC MAP OF GIJRGAON DISTRICT: SHOWING

HILLS 1 WATER CHANNELS AND OTHER ADJOINING DISTRICTS,,

LEGEND

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RAIL uAy Ll/11£'..,....... SI(IJ4E' -tt­CANAt-

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69

Out of the eleven Community Development Blocks, six blocks,

i.e. Gurgaon, Sohna, Pataudi, Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka and

Punhana remained with the Gur~aon district and the remaining

five Community Development Blocks, namely Faridabad, Ballabgarh,

Palwal, Hodal and Hathin, were included in the newly formed

Faridabad district.

At the time of the study, the district consisted of

5 tehsils. Each tehsil is also a sub-division for revenue

collection and for general administrative purposes. Each

tehsil has a number of community development blocks as per

details given in table 5 (see Map 4).

Sl.No.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Table 5: NUMBER OF TEHSILS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCKS IN GURGAON DISTRICT AS ON 1ST APRIL

1978 ·--·.·

Name of tehsil Name of blocks

Gurgaon 1. Gurgaon 2. Sohna 3. Pataudi

Nuh 4. Nuh 5. Hathin

Ferozepur Jhirka 6. Ferozepur Jhirka 7. Punhana

J?alwal s. Palwal 9. Hodal

Ballabgarh lo. Ballabgarh 11. Faridabad

There are 12 towns, namely Gurgaon, Sohna, Pataudi,

Haileymandi, Farruk nagar, Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka,· Palwal,

MAP4: ROADS, RAILWAYS,BLOCKS,MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS IN AI£WAT

AND IVON,MEWAT AREAS OF GURGAON DISTRICT

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70

Hodal and the Faridabad complex, comprising 3 townships i.e.

Faridabad Old, Faridabad New Industrial Township and Ballabgarh.

Gurgaon district has 1222 villages, spread over 11

community development(CD) blocks. All the villages are

electrified and are accessible by road. In the district,

there are 740 grarn-panchayats, 3 municipal committees, 8

notified area committees, 16 police stations and 9 police

56 posts.

2. Physiography

Physical features

Gurgaon district has a varied topography of undulating

land arid alluvial plains. This is due to~e fact that a

number of small hill ranges, which are part of the Aravalli

Range, exist in the south-west and south-east portions of the

district. The heights of these ranges vary from 500 to 700

feet above the sea level. The ranges provide vast natural

meadows for animals and are.also covered with occasional

dense forests. However, the ground surface iS very uneven.

Twenty-five per cent of the area in the district is slopy;

the rest forms plains. The general slope of the land is from

west to east. Since this district has a varied topography,

consisting of valleys and plain areas, drainage problems

exist in Ballabgarh, Palwal and Ferozepur Jhirka tehsils.

There is a peculiar complexity to this problem since most of

71

the streams tend to converge towards a depression instead of

flowing into the river Yamuna.

The hill ranges of the district form a marked feature

in its physical characteristics. They are connected with the

Aravalli chain of which they are the northern most spurs and

their general direction is from south-southwest to north­

northeast. One range forms the western border of the district

stretching from the south-west corner of Ferozepur Jhirka

tehsil to a point opposite Nuh town (see Map 4).

3. Climate

The climate of the district is more temperate than

many of the other districts of the state. Gurgaon district

has an arid and semiarid type of climate. May and June are

the hottest months while December and January are the coldest.

Summer starts from the middle of March and continues upto the

end of June. Hot and dry winds during these months are not

uncommon. The temperature starts to rise continuously from

April to June. The monsoon rains start from July and continues

upto September. The winter sets in towards the end of October

and continues upto February and the beginning of March. The

maximum temperature rises upto 46°C in the months of May and

June and the minimum temperature is 2°C in January. Mean

relative humidity is highest in August viz.; 78 per cent and

lowest in May ~.e. below 34 per cent.

'72

The district experiences heavy monsoon rains which

start at the end of June or the beginning of July and continue

till September. July and August are the months of heaviest

rainfall when 74 per cent of total rainfall is received.

Rainfall received in Januari is 43.6 mm whereas in September

it· extends to as much· as 103.8 mm. Nqvember and December are

the months of lowest rainfall. The district again receives

some rainfall from the south-west winds during the months of

January and February and this rainfall plays a vital role in

the success of the Rabi crops.

Average rainfall in the district was 553.9 mm for

1973. Average weighted rainfall from 1901 to 1973 i.e. 73

years as collected at important stations is shown in table 6.

Table 6: SHOWING STATIONwiSE RAINFALL IN GURGAON DISTRICT FROM 1901-1973

Sl.No. Name of the Geographical Longtitude Weighted receiving location rainfall for station latitude 73 years

(in mm)

1. Gurgaon 28.3 77.0 608.2

2. Sohna 28.2 77.1 610.6

3. Nuh 28.1 77.0 590.0

4. Hathin 28.0 77.1 458.1

5. Ferozepur 27.5 76.6 634.2 Jhirka

6. Punhana 27.5 77.1 446.8

7. Palwal 28.1 77.2 622.2

8. Ballabgarh 28.2 77.2 670.8

(Source: Deputy CommissXner~ Office, Gurgaon)

4. Rivers, Streams and Lakes in the District

i) Yamuna· River

73

Bordering the district in the east is the Yamuna

which is a perennial river with a narrow but consistent

flood plains. Its length in Gu.rgaon district iS 123 kms.

This river forms the boundary between this district and

Bulandshahr and Aliga.rh districts of Uttar Pradesh. During

the rainy season, it causes heavy floods in the eastern

margin of the district. The tract along the Yamuna river

is called Khadar.

ii) Sahibi Nadi

- Sahibi Nadi is the second important river. It is

swollen-during the monsoons but it is almost dry during the

winter season. It rises in Mewat hills of Jaipur district

in Rajasthan and flows northwards, passing through Rewari

tehsil of Mahendragarh district and then enters Pataudi

sub-tehsil of Gurgaon district. As it does not have a

marked course in the district, it causes floods in the

villages lying in its fan. The length of Sahibi Nadi in

Gurgaon district is 48 kms.

iii) The Landoha

The Landoha .refers to a monsoon torrent which flows

east of. the.main Aravalli ridge. It originates in Alwar

district and enters Gurgaon district in Ferozepur Jhirka

tehsil. It causes widespread inundation in Ferozepur Jhirka

and Nuh tehsils in the monsoon months.

74

iv) The Indori

It rises in Alwar, 24 kms south of the Haryana border

and flows through Tauru plateu of Nuh tehsil and joins Sahibi

Nadi near Pataudi.

v) Mehandwar Nala

It emerges near Gassinwola Johar village of Gurgaon

tehsil and terminates near Udaka village of Nuh tehsil. Its

length in the district is 24 kms.

vi) Ghata or Badshapur Nala

It rises in Delhi hills near Mehrauli and flows

southwards. It enters the district 1 km northwest of

Gwalpatana village of Gurgaon tehsil. Ultimately it flows

into the Najafgarh Jheel. Its length in the district is about

29 k.ms.

vii) Bhuriya Nala or Ti~pat drain

It originates from hills at a distance of 2 kms. south

west of.Meola Maharajpur village of Ballabgarh tehsil. This

nala runs eastward into Yamuna half a kilometre north east of

Muazzabad village of the same tehsil and a few kilometres

east of Akbarpur village.

These streams and nalas, though small and seasonal,

are of economic significance, since flood water provides water

to the land of the semiarid district for irrigational purposes.

'75

However, extremes of flood also cause malariogenic conditions,

leading to localised outbreaks in adjacent areas.

There are a number of lakes in the district besides

the Agra and Gurgaon canalS, :

i) Khalilpur Jheel

This jheel is situated in the northeast of Nuh tehsil.

It is spread over 16 kms. and covers Khalilpur, Indri and

other villages. The whole of this jheel is flooded during

the rainy season. Near Khalil pur it turns about 607 hec-:... -,

tares of land into a more or less permanent swamp.

ii) Chandeni Jheel

This lies 16 kms. west of Khalilpur jheel and is

situated in the northwest of Nuh tehsil. It is also a

permanent swamp. The area of permanent basin is about 400

hectares.

iii) Senghal Ujina Jheel

"'Lying to the south of Nuh, this jheel does not have

a clearly defined basis as in the case of other lakes. It is

responsible for floods in villages near Senghal and Ujina

during rainy season.

iv) Kotla Jheel

This longest jheel in the district is about 5 km. in

length and 4 km. breadth. It is situated at foothills of Alwar

district where boundaries of Nuh and Ferozepur Jhirka tehsils

meet each other.

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v) Najafgarh jheel the

This jheel is located mainly inLUnion Territory of

Delhi but a part of it lies in Gurgaon tehsil.

5. Demographic Profile

i) According to the 1971 Census~ 6 the population of

Gurgaon district was 13,72,197, which gives a density of

281 persons per square km. From population point of view,

the district ranks second in the state, containing 13.7

per cent of its population. Tehsil-wise population,

according to 1971 Census, is given in table 7.

Table 7: TEHSIUNISE AREA, POPULATION AND DENSITY OF POPULATION OF GURGAON DISTRICT

Tehsil

Gurgaon

Nuh

Ferozepur Jhirka

Palwal

Ballabgarh

District (Total)

Area in sq. km.

1255.38

1054.45

819.23

1005.88

754.06

4889.00

Population

3,46, 041

2,30,663

1,87,730

2,84,387

3,23,376

13,72,197

Density of popu­lation per sq.km.

276

219

229

283

429

281

(Source: Census of India - Haryana 1971)

Sex ratio among district population as per last census

was 846 females per 1000 male. The population of the district

as per annual malaria census was 18,51,984 in 1978.

'77

ii) Rural urban population

Tehsil-wise classification of urban rural population

is shown in table 8.

Table 8: TEHSI!kHSE RURAL AND URBAN .POPULATION IN GURGAON DISTRICT

Name of tehsil Rural Urban Total

Gurgaon 2 66331 79710 346041

Nub 2259333 4730 230663

Ferozepur Jhirka 179768 7962 187730

Palwal 234036 50351 284387

Ballabgarh 200559 122817 323376

Total 1106627 265570 1372197

(Source: Census of India - Haryana 1971)

Population breakdown of the villages of the district

is given in table 9.

Table 9: DISTRIBUTION OF VILLAGES ACCORDING TO POPULATION SIZE IN GURGAON DISTRICT

Viilages having population Number of villages

Less than 1000 763

Between 1000 to 2000 240

Between 2000 to 5000 98

Between 5000 to 10000 21

1222

(Source: Census of India - Haryana 1971)

78

According to 1971 census, about 81 per cent populqtion

are Hindus as compared to 18 per cent Muslims in the district

and latter belong predominantly to rural areas of Nuh,

Ferozepur Jhirka, Hathin and Punhana blocks. comprising the

Mewat area. About so. 64 per cent of ·the district population

lives in the villages against 82.30 per cent in the state.

About 15 per cent of total population of the district

belongs to the scheduled castes, but there is no scheduled

tribe in the district.

iii) Literacy

Percentage of literate population is 27.2 per cent

as compared to 26.9 per cent in the state~. The number of

educational institutions in the district i-s given in table 10.

Table 10: EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN GURGAON AS ON JUNE, 1978

Colleges 14

JBT School 1

High Schools 150

Middle Schools 74

Primary Schools 879

iv) Social groups of the district

The pe·ople of the district may be classified into four

groups as far as social customs and languages are concerned.

These are (a) Braj area of Ballabgarh and Palwal tehsils;

(b) Mewat area of Nuh and Ferozepur Jhirka tehsils; (c)

Khoriboli area .of Pataudi; and (d) an area adjacent to Delhi

including Gurgaon town.

v) Occupation

The working population of the district is 27.1 per cent,

which is slightly higher than that of the state (26.4 per cent).

This is due to larger participation of the population in the

industries which are coming up in Faridabad and Gurgaon. But,

still the district can be treated as dependant upon agriculture,

because 56.9 per cent of the working force is engaged in

agriculture.

6. Agriculture

Development of agriculture has received special

attention in the district. All out efforts have been made

by authorities to increase the area under cultivation. The

total area of the district is 4 1 85,769 hectares,.. ~~, out of

which nearly 39,0000 hectares'-~ i.e. about 80 per cent has

been put under cultivation.

Wheat, gram and barley are three principal ~

foodgrain crops of the district, whereas bajra, maize,

j owar, groundnut, sugarcane etc. are the Kharif crops.

In Mewat area oilseeds are also grown.

The main sources of irrigation in the district are

tubeweils, pumping sets, canals and wells. Large areas in

Palwal, Nuh and Ferozepur Jhirka blocks receive water for

irrigation from Agra and. Gurgaon canals. Total canal length

in the dis.trict is 81 kms. Apart from .canals there are 9776

80

shallow tube wells, nearly 8000 pumping sets and some

22,000 wells in the district. The position of net irrigated

area is shown in table 11.

Table 11: NET IRRIGATED AREA IN GURGAON DISTRICT AS ON JUNE, 1978

I) By canals

Ii) By tubewells

III) By wells

7. Industry

22.600 hectares

91.500 hectares

3,800 hectares

Gurgaon district is firmly set on a path of rapid

industrialization. Before partition, industrially it was

one of the most backward areas in erstwhile Punjab. But at

present the district has a unique distinctio~ having one of·

the biggest industrial complexes in the country located at

Faridabad. Besides, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Palwal are the

two other important industrial centres that are developing

fast.

There are 109 large industrial units and 225 small

scale industries functioning in the district, as against a

total of only 9 in 1956. These industries provide employment

opportu~ities to nearly 1.40 lakh persons out of which

Faridabad alone gives employment to 1.30 lakh workers.

81

Big units are manufacturing tractors, motor cycles, scooters,

tyres, refrigerators, pottery, textile, machine tools, etc.,

whereas small units produce auto-parts,ready made garments,

cycle parts, medicine, agricultural implements, tyres, shoes,

resins, chemicals and electronic and engineering goods.

8. Communication

i) Roads - At the time of formation of Haryana, the district

had total of 967 km. road. At present, total metalled roads

maintained by state Public Works Department (~D) and local

bodies is 1921 kms. District headquarters and the important

towns of the district i.e. Faridabad, Ballabgarh and Palwal

are well-connected. About 80 per cent of the villages are

connected by pucca road. Gurgaon district has the distinction

of having 2 National Highways (No.2 and No.8) passing through

it. The former links the state with Uttar Pradesh and

Madhya Pradesh whereas National Highway (NH) 8 '-links the

district with Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are

four state highways and other small link roads in the district

which has facilities for bus and goods transport (see Map 4).

ii) Railways - The district has adequate facilities of

- . linkage through railways - i.e. two important railway lines

pass through the district. One double broad gauge line passes

through Faridabad, Palwal and Hodal, linking with Uttar Pradesh,

Madhya Pradesh, Mahareyshtra and South India. The second is the

82

metre gauge line which passes through Gurgaon and Pataudi,

linking with Rewari and further to Ahmedabad. Bikaner. Ajmer,

Jaipur, Hissar, Bhatinda, etc. There are 17 railway stations

in the district.

9. Flood Situation in the District

Floods in the district are caused by the inundation

of areas by over-flowing water of Yamuna, Sahibi, Indori

nadis and Landoha nullah. In 1976, river Yamuna, caused

floods in Khadar area of the district,affecting 150 villages

in Ballabgarh sub-division and 156 villages in Palwal sub­

division~ Sahibi and Indori nadis affected parts of Gurgaon

and Nuh sub-divisions. Almost the entire sub-tehsil of

Pataudi was affected by the Sahibi nadi floods which affected

47 villages. The Landoha nullah is one of the major causes of

flood in the Mewat area: it affected 148 villages in Ferozepur

Jhirka and 165 villages of Nuh tehsils.

The picture was no better in 1977• In 1977,the

district was very badly hit by devastating.floods and a

large area was submerged under flood water, resulting in

disruption of communications. Seven hundred and ninety seven

out of the total of 1222 villages were affected by floods -

330 villages were marooned, 245 badly affected and 222

villages were mildly affected •.. According to the authorities,

the economic loss was to the tune of about Rs.10 cr0res.

I

83 including damage to crops worth Rs.915 lakhs. Though all the

5 tehsils were affected, but worst affected villages were

from Mewat area.

Flood control measures

In order to avoid floods in the near future, work of

deepening of the Chandini drain, increasing capacity of the

Kankar drain and improving the physical condition of the Nuh

drain had been started. Some link drains like Indori,

Rawasan, Alduka and Kurthala are also being sanctioned to

clean the depression. With regard to some affected villages,

such as, Khalilpur, Behewa, Khetiwas, Chillinawas and

NakdarpU:r in Pataudi subtehsil, proposal of ring bunds has

been approved and work is being started. Work of remodelling

the Ghata has been completed.

Flood situation in Gurgaon district during 1976 is

given in table 12.

Table 12: FLOOD SITUATION IN GURGAON DISTRICT DURING 19'16

1. Number of viliages ·affected - 7ffi_ ba y 2. Number of villages and townsLaffected - 468

3. Number of villages completely surrounded by

4. Number of houses totally damaged - 9748

5. Number of houses partially damaged - 13160

6. Total area under water in acres - 330921

7. Cropped area under water in aqres - 180969,

8. Population affected - 212211

9. Loss caused to human lives - 10

10. Loss caused to cattle - 13.

water -142

Sd ....

Immediate action was taken by the authorities

concerned to shift this affected population from the

inundated villages to safer places, for which 15 wooden'

and 8 aluminium boats were maintained in· the district.

Medical, health and veterinary teams were sent to flood

affected areas to check the spread of any epidemic.

• • • •