Urban issues

• Thar Desert


  Seventh largest desert, straddling India-Pakistan border, with 30 million people.
• Indus River


  Runs along the western margin of the Thar Desert.
• Jaisalmer


  Ancient desert city on trade routes, struggling with water demand.
• Subsistence farming


  Farming for self-sufficiency in harsh desert conditions.
• Commercial farming


  Intensive farming with irrigation, threatening the desert biome.
• Mineral extraction


  Removing valuable minerals like limestone and gypsum from the desert.
• Energy use


  Utilizing wind and solar power in the Thar Desert for electricity generation.
• Teeming desert


  Thar Desert with the highest population density of 83 people per km2.
• Pithorai


  Small settlement in the Thar Desert where people practice subsistence farming.
• Raikas


  Group of subsistence farmers in the Thar Desert who look after camels.
• Indira Gandhi Canal


  Canal extending from River Sutlej, providing water for irrigation in the desert.
• Desert biome


  Ecosystem of the Thar Desert, threatened by commercial farming.
• Desert grasses


  Grow in depressions between sand dunes, supporting animal grazing.
• Wind turbine farm


  Largest in India near Jaisalmer, generating 60 MW of renewable electricity.
• Sprinkler systems


  Used for irrigation in the desert to support crops like cotton and wheat.
• Thar Desert tourism


  Attractions include Jaisalmer's ancient fort and camel safaris.
• Desert water demand


  Increasing due to tourism, affecting infrastructure like Jaisalmer's fort.
• Desert challenges


  Include harsh winds, searing temperatures, and devastating droughts.
• Desert opportunities


  Include energy generation and commercial farming, but with environmental risks.
• Desert population growth


  Seen in areas like Jaisalmer due to tourism and economic activities.
• Desert environmental impact


  Seen in subsiding walls of Jaisalmer's fort due to increased tourism.
• Desert water sources


  Include wells and canals like the Indira Gandhi Canal for irrigation.
• Desert Adaptations


  Plants and animals in deserts have specialized features to survive hot, dry conditions.
• Succulents


  Plants like cacti with fleshy stems storing water and waxy skin to reduce water loss.
• Nocturnal Behavior


  Animals active at night to avoid heat, like fennec foxes in burrows during the day.
• Transpiration


  Water loss from plants, reduced by desert plants with small leaves or spines.
• Camel Adaptation


  Camels store water in humps and can break down fat for water.
• Seed Germination


  Some desert plant seeds only sprout when it rains to ensure water availability.
• Body Temperature Regulation


  Animals like desert iguanas tolerate high temperatures, faking up to 42°C.
• Sand Adaptations


  Camels have features like triple eyelids to protect against sand during storms.
• Water Source


  Some desert animals get water from their food to minimize water loss.
• Plant Water Acquisition


  Desert plants adapt to get water efficiently, like long roots or wide surface area.
• Heat Dissipation


  Animals like lizards have long limbs or ears to lose heat effectively.
• Ecosystem


  Includes all biotic and abiotic parts in an area
• Producer


  Organism using sunlight to produce food
• Consumer


  Organism getting energy by eating others
• Decomposer


  Organism breaking down dead material for energy
• Food Chain


  Shows the sequence of who eats whom
• Food Web


  Interconnected food chains in an ecosystem
• Nutrient Cycling


  Transfer of nutrients from soil to plants to consumers