Assam - Ministry of Environment and Forests

7.1.5 BarpetaThe district is situated in the lower Brahmaputra valley of Assam between 26°5'N and 26°51 'N latitudes and90 o 38'E and 91°20'E longitudes. It occupies 320704 hectares of area. It is bounded by Nalbari District on theeast and its north boundary is marked by the kingdom of Bhutan.The district is characterised by almost plaintopography with the highest elevation of 200 m above m.s.l. in north, while in the south it is below 18 m abovem.s.l. The rivers flowing through the district are Tihu, Kaldia, Pahumara, Palla, Beki and Bhalukadoba whichoriginate from Bhutan hills and are perennial in nature. The southern side of the district is very low lying and isfrequently subjected to flood. Besides these, there are a number of small streams, abandoned channels andmarshy lands. The major soil groups are Recent Riverine Alluvial Soil (Entisols), Old Riverine Alluvial soils(Inceptisols) and Old Mountain Valley Alluvial soils (Alfisols). The general pH value of the soils of the districtvaries from 4.5 to 7.3 i.e. acidic to neutral. The area receives an average rainfall of 1409 mm. The maximumand minimum temperatures recorded for the district are 35°C and 7°C respectively. As per Census Report,2001, the district has a total population of 16, 47,201.Total wetland area in the district is 59038 ha that includes 195 small wetlands (