Hyderabad is located in central Andhra Pradesh and is spread over an area of 260 km2. The city lies in the Deccan Plateau and rises to an average height of 536 m above the sea level. The city lies at 17.366° N latitude and 78.476° E longitude.
Hyderabad is blessed with a unique landscape – spectacular rock formations which are about 2,500 million years old; amongst the oldest and hardest rocks in the world. Rocky and hilly regions around the city are under obliteration for urbanization. Granite ridges and hillocks weathered into picturesque balancing forms are a part of the Deccan Shield area. Grey and Pink Granites are among the world's oldest. Crops are commonly grown in the surrounding paddy fields. The city’s soil type is mainly red sandy with areas of black cotton soil. Hyderabad falls in the seismic zone-I and is seismically least exposed to earthquakes.
The highest point in the city is Banjara Hills. The contour level falls gradually from west to east creating almost a trough near the Musi River which runs through the city. This natural feature has facilitated water supply by gravity.
The original city of Hyderabad was founded on the banks of river Musi and has grown over centuries on the both banks of the river. Now known as the historic "Old City", home to the Charminar and Mecca Masjid, it lies on the southern bank of the river. The city center saw a shift to the north of the river, with the construction of many government buildings and landmarks. Hyderabad and Secunderabad are called as 'Twin cities' as they are closely linked with each other. A man made lake, known as the Hussain Sagar Lake, separates the two cities. The rapid growth of the city, along with the growth of Secunderabad and neighboring municipalities has resulted in a large and populous metropolitan area.
The Musi river originates from Anantagiri Hills (located 70 km south west of Hyderabad ) and joins Krishna River near Wazirabad in Nalgonda district. There are two dams built on it - Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar. Both these reservoirs constitute the major drinking water sources for Hyderabad city. These dams also prevented the city from flooding that encountered till the early decades of 20th century. Musi River was called Muchukunda River in pre-historic days. A few bridges cross the river; the oldest, called "Purana Pul"(literally meaning old bridge) was built during the 16th century by the Qutb Shahi sultans of Golconda.
Today, due to indiscriminate urbanization and lack of planning, the river has become a receptacle for all the untreated domestic and industrial waste waters coming out of Hyderabad and has therefore become polluted. Numerous efforts to clean it have failed. The river water downstream to city is highly polluted.
| Hyderabad
Period - 1951-2000 |
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Hyderabad has a unique combination of a tropical wet and dry climate that borders on a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh).
The climate of Hyderabad remains fairly warm through most parts of the year and does not receive much rainfall in the monsoon. With the onset of winters in North and central parts of India, temperatures marginally come down in the months of December and January and the nights become quite cool in and around the Hyderabad city. During the summer months, the mercury goes as high as 42°C while in winters the minimum temperature may come down to as low as 12°C. June to November are the months of monsoons, accompanied by rains. During the Monsoons also the temperature goes down at times. Thus, for most parts of the year the weather and climate of Hyderabad remains fairly moderate and you can visit the Hyderabad city anytime in the year but the best season to visit Hyderabad is between October–February.
Hot steppe type climate prevails over Hyderabad. Telangana district in which Hyderabad is situated is the hottest part of the State during summer and coldest in winter. The mean daily temperature varies from 30°C to 36°C from April to June and from 20°C to 24°C in the months of December and January.
The mean maximum temperature ranges between 39°C and 43°C in May. After the withdrawal of the monsoon, the maximum temperature rises slightly due to increased insulation.
The mean minimum temperature is 13°C to 17°C in December and January, but it rises to 26°C to 29°C in May. The minimum temperature falls rapidly after October, and less than 10°C was recorded on individual days.
The climate is pleasant from November to February. The summer months of April and May are uncomfortable due to oppressive heat. The period from July to September is warm, humid and uncomfortable.
Rainfall
More than 75 per cent of the rainfall is received during the south-west monsoon season, i.e., from June to September, July being the month when it rains. September is the month, when there are rains. The south-west monsoon sets in by the 7th of June. Its advent is sudden and the rainfall increases from less than 5 per cent (of the annual) in May to 15 per cent in June.
Humidity
Humidity during the monsoon season is very high exceeding 75% from July to September. In the dry months of March, April and May, humidity is comparatively low with an average of 25 to 30%.
Cloudiness
June to October is the period when more than half of the sky is covered with clouds, while only about 1/4 of the sky is clouded from January to March. Half of the days in July and August have overcast skies. About 10 to 13 days in the months of January, February and March, the skies are free from clouds in clear weather.
Recent Temperature Increases
According to India Meteorological Department, the summer months of April & May 2009 recorded the warmest temperatures since 1901, with mean maximum temperatures hovering frequently at around 42°C with maximum temperature touching 45°C.