thar desert Flashcards
where is the thar desert
stretches across North-west India into Pakistan
200,000km^2 in mostly the Indian state of Rajasthan
most densely populated desert in the world
characteristics of Thar desert
soils are sandy and not very fertile, with little organic matter to enrich them. they drain very quickly so there is little surface water
Mainly sandy hills with extensive mobile sand dunes and clumps of mixtures of small trees, shrubs and grasses
Rainfall is low- between 100-240mm a year
summer temps can reach 53C in July
opportunity for development in the Thar- tourism
Beautiful landscapes attract 10,000s tourists each year, mainly from Pakistan
Desert safaris on camels at Jaisalmer are popular with foreigners and wealthy Indians
Annual desert festival is held each winter- locals provide food, accommodation, acting as guides, rearing/looking after camels
opportunity for development in the Thar- mineral extraction
contains valuable reserves of minerals used all over India/exported across the world
-gypsum
(plaster for construction and cement- quarried in the centre, half of India’s supply
-feldspar
(makes ceramics- 66% of India’s production comes from Rajasthan)
-phosphorite
(making fertiliser- 95% of India’s production comes from Rajasthan)
-kaolin (whitener in paper, 16% of the nations output)
-Sanu limestone
(main source of limestone for India’s steel industry)
-marble
(quarried near Jodhpur, to be used in the construction industry)
opportunity for development in the Thar- Energy
Rich energy source!
-coal
(thermal energy plant was constructed in Giral)
-oil
(large oilfield in Barmer district makes large contribution to the states revenues ($5.3 billion- 2009-2018)
-wind
(recent focus on developing wind power (renewable) Jaisalmer wind park(2001) is india’s largest wind farm)
-solar
(sunny, cloudless skies are ideal conditions. Huge solar park being constructed at Badhla across 40km will generate enough electricity for Rajasthan’s needs)
opportunity for development in the Thar- farming
Subsistence!
-most habitants
-survive hot and dry conditions by grazing
animals on grassy areas and cultivating
vegetables and fruit trees
Commercial!
-made possible by irrigation
construction of Indira Gandhi Canal has
revolutionised farming
crops-wheat and cotton thrive
other crops such as pulses, sesame, maize, mustard
challenges for development in the Thar- extreme temperatures
-suffers extremely high temps
-51C in 2016 where hundreds died during
prolonged heatwave
-regularly exceeding 45C
-health challenges for people working outside (farmers, miners, tourist guides)
-tourism (economically important) is seasonal, limited to cooler months of the year
-low rainfall + high evaporation rates = water
shortages
-dehydration of animals + plants, affecting biodiversity and farming
challenges for development in the Thar- water supply
-population increased, farming and industry developed so demand for water increased
-high evaporation rates
-sources of water in ponds
-few rivers and streams- intermittent (flow only
after rainfall), most settlements are along these
rivers
-underground sources (aquifers) using wells
but water is poor quality and salty
Indira Gandhi Canal
-main source of irrigation -over 3500km^2
-over 650km long- transfers water from Punjab to Rajasthan
-India’s longest canal
-development of Rajasthan’s economy
-Jodhpur, Jaisalmer benefit
-enables widespread tree-planting, stabilising sand and mitigating desertification
-provides drinking water
-commercial farming- growing wheat and cotton
-agriculturally transformed the desert, turning
barren sand into productive farmland
challenge for development in the Thar- inaccessibility
-limited road network due to extreme weather and vast barren areas
-high temps cause tarmac to melt
-strong winds blow sand over roads
-many places only accessible by camel- traditional form of transportation as public transport involves overladen buses
what is desertification
where land is gradually turned into desert
- a result of both natural and human events
- affects poor and rich countries
- threatens 1bil people in areas at risk
causes/consequences
climate change
- resulting in drier conditions/unreliable rainfall
soil erosion
- veg is destroyed, exposing soil which cracks/breaks up making it vulnerable to erosion by wind/rain
salinisation
- rapid evaporation of poorly practiced irrigation leads to surface salts building up, kills the plants
overgrazing
- population pressure results in limited veg supporting too many animals
overcultivation
- more people need more food which exhausts soil turning it to dust
fuelwood
- population growth increases demand
- trees that are stripped of branches eventually die
reducing desertification
- water and soil management- irrigation needs to be managed carefully so salinisation is avoided
ponding banks
- low walls enclose areas of land to store water
contour traps
- embankments built along slopes prevent soil being washed away at heavy rainfall
National Park status
- gives legal protection to areas at risk
Tree planting
- reduces soil erosion as roots bind soil together and provides shade, grazing, fuelwood
Appropriate technology
- practical and sustainable approaches to farming address the needs of poor people who are unable to access expensive machinery
- ‘magic stones’ in West Africa trap water in soil and have increased crop yields by 50%
