The state of Gujarat is situated in Western India. It is bordered by mountains of the Aravalli Range to the North and by Thar Desert to the North West. It has an extensive coastline with the Arabian Sea to the West and the South West. The region of North Gujarat experiences a semi-arid and extremely dry climate with scanty rainfall where the temperatures can soar up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 F) in summer.
Majority of rainfall is received during the monsoon months from July to September. As rivers in this landscape are seasonal, the region is dependant on a network of surface water bodies such as lakes and ponds formed from natural depressions on the ground. A relationship between surface water, groundwater and the settlement can be observed in big cities like Ahmedabad, towns like Patan and Vadnagar, to small villages like Meta.