thar desert

• The Thar Desert is located in northwest India and stretches into Pakistan. It covers 200,000 square kilometres and is the most densely populated desert in the world.
• Many minerals are extracted from the ground in the Thar Desert including:

  • limestone
  • marble
  • phosphorite
  • feldspar
  • gypsum
• A range of renewable and non-renewable energy resources are in the Thar Desert. Renewable energy resources include wind and solar energy. At Jaisalmer, 75 wind turbines are generating 60MW of electricity. Due to the long hours of sunshine, there is massive potential in the generation of solar energy.
• Tourism in the Thar Desert has increased recently, mainly from Pakistan. Desert safaris are popular as is ecotourism including camel treks.
• Precipitation levels are in the Thar Desert are very low, between 120-240mm, and evaporation rates are high. Climate change could lead to river levels being lower which will lead to water scarcity.
• Covering 200,000k㎡, The Thar Desert is vast. Despite having the highest desert population density in the world, it has a limited road network.
• Temperatures can exceed 50°C in the Thar Desert which makes it very challenging to for people, such as farmers, to work outside. High temperatures lead to rapid evaporation and a shortage of water.
• The Indira Gandhi canal has enabled the irrigation of 3500k㎡ of land for the commercial production of wheat, cotton and maize.