Palghar District is a district in the state of Maharashtra in Konkan Division.
History of Palghar District
On 1st August 2014, the Maharashtra State government announced the formation of the 36th district of Maharashtra, when a new Palghar District was carved out of the old Thane district; it comprised the talukas of Palghar, Vada, Vikramgad, Jawhar, Mokhada, Dahanu, Talasari and Vasai-Virar.
Demography of Palghar District
Palghar has an urban population of 1,435,210, which is 48% of total population living in Urbanized Area. Palghar District comprises 8 talukas.
Geography of Palghar District
Palghar District is bounded by Thane and Nashik Districts on the east and northeast, and by Valsad District of Gujarat state and Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli on the north. Arabian Sea forms the western boundary, while Vasai-Virar is part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Palghar District is the northernmost part of the Konkan lowlands of Maharashtra. It comprises the wide amphitheatre like Ulhas basin on the south and hilly Vaitarna valley on the north together with plateaus and the slopes of Sahyadri. From the steep slopes of the Sahyadri in the east, the land falls through a succession of plateaus in the north and centre of the district to the Ulhas valley in the south. The distance from the parts of different palaces to headquarters Palghar by road is as follows: Khodala 138 km, Mokhada 112 km, Jawhar 75 km, Vikramgad 60 km.
Rivers of Palghar District
The main river of Palghar District flowing through the district is the Vaitarna. The river has many tributaries; the most important of them are Barvi and Bhatsa, Pinjal, Surya, Daherja and Tansa. Vaitarna, the largest of Konkan Rivers, rises in the Tryambak hills in Nashik district, opposite to the source of Godavari River. The river flows across Shahapur, Vada and Palghar talukas and enter the Arabian Sea through a wide estuary of Arnala. Vaitarna River is 154 km long and has a drainage area that practically covers the entire northern part of the district. Ulhas River which flows to Arabian see is Vasai creek, district`s southern border. Arnala Island is located in Vasai taluka, at the entrance to the Vaitarna estuary.
Economy of Palghar District
Palghar District has India`s first atomic power plant located at Tarapur. The industrial town of Boisar is also home to one of largest industrial areas at Tarapur MIDC in Maharashtra. The largest fishing port of Maharashtra is Satpati; Dahanu, Arnala, Vasai and Datiware are also major fishing ports. Dahanu and Palghar are best known for their chickoo production in the whole of India.
