Sahar, Bihar

Sahar has a Köppen climate classification of Cwa, indicating a dry-winter humid subtropical climate. The average rainfall in Sahar is 983 mm (38.70 in) per year.[5] January is the coldest month of the year. In mid-March, increased wind and occasional dust storms mark the beginning of summer, and temperatures rise, reaching their peak in May. In late June, the monsoon rains arrive, marking the end of summer and the beginning of the rainy season, which lasts through September. Although temperatures fall during these months, the accompanying rise in humidity often makes the heat feel more unpleasant than the raw temperature would otherwise suggest. By mid-October, after the end of the rainy season, a cool and pleasant winter begins, and temperatures continue to drop until the end of the calendar year.[2]

In 2001, the population of Sahar block was 99,585; this increased to 110,276 in 2011, an increase of 10.7%. This percent increase was the lowest among sub-districts in Bhojpur district during this period. In both Census years, Sahar was classified as an entirely rural sub-district, with no urban centers. The largest village was Ekwari, with a population of 11,561.[2]

The sex ratio of Sahar block in 2011 was 966 females to every 1000 males. This was the most even ratio among all sub-districts in Bhojpur (the average ratio was 907). Among the 0–6 age group, the sex ratio was slightly higher, at 971 females for every 1000 males; this ratio was also the highest among Bhojpur's sub-districts, where the average was 918.[2]

In 2011, 22,826 people, or 20.7% of the sub-district's population, belonged to scheduled castes in Sahar block. This was slightly higher than the average of 15.59% in all of Bhojpur district. There were only 75 members of scheduled tribes in the block, or 0.07% of the population, which was slightly lower than the 0.51% in all of Bhojpur district.[2]

In 2011, the total literacy rate of Sahar block was 67.09%, which was slightly below the Bhojpur district average of 69.16%. In the block, 79.77% of men and 53.95% of women could read and write. The gender gap in literacy was 25.82%, which was about average for the district as a whole.[2]

The primary means of employment for Sahar block's workers in 2011 was agriculture, with over 80% of the population engaged in some form of agricultural work. 29.03% of workers were cultivators who owned or leased their own land, and 52.39% were agricultural labourers who worked someone else's land for wages. Both percentages were somewhat higher than the averages for all of Bhojpur district (23% and 44%, respectively). Household industry workers constituted 3.32% of Sahar block's workforce, and all other workers made up the remaining 15.26%.[2]

86.0% of the total land area in Sahar block was under cultivation in 2011. Of the land under cultivation, 93.53% was irrigated, which was the highest percentage in Bhojpur district.[2]

Of the 51 inhabited villages in Sahar sub-district in 2011, all had access to clean drinking water, and 47 had schools. 14 had medical facilities, 17 had post offices, 9 had telephone access, 18 had transport communications (bus, rail, or navigable waterways), 8 had banks, 21 had pucca roads, and 3 had electrical power. Only one village, that of Sahar, had an agricultural credit society. Sahar block had the lowest proportion of villages with telephone service (17.65%) among sub-districts of Bhojpur (where the average was 54.76%). The proportion of villages with pucca roads, 41.18%, was also the lowest in Bhojpur, where the average was 70.61%. The proportion of villages with electricity was 5.88% in Sahar block, which was the second-lowest among sub-districts in Bhojpur, where the average was 42.13%; only Agiaon had a lower proportion of villages with electricity. Additionally, only two villages (Ekwari and Fatehpur) had Internet access in Sahar block in 2011.[2]

The village of Sahar covered an area of 355 hectares and had a population of 5,674 in 2011. It had one each of a pre-primary school, primary school, middle school, secondary school, and senior secondary school, but did not have any form of post-secondary school. There was one community healthcare centre in the village, and two practitioners of traditional medicine. The village had access to tap water, but did not have public toilets. There was a post office. The village had bus service and use of automobiles and tractors, as well as a river ferry service, but no railway station. The town had pucca roads, which were not connected to national highways, although they were connected to state highways. Sahar had a bank with an ATM, as well as the only agricultural credit society in the sub-district. There was a mandi, or regular market open daily, as well as a weekly haat market. The village had newspaper distribution but it did not have a public library or any sort of electricity.[2]