Thar Desert

• Opportunity- Agriculture

  • commercial farming is possible because of the Indira Ghandi Canal for irrigation which allows cotton and wheat to be grown
  • jobs and income produced
• Opportunity - Mining

  large coal reserves can be exported for profit

  salt harvesting from Sambhar lake - 9% of India's salt production

  quarry for Sanu Limestone in Jaisalmer

  marble in Jodphur
• Opportunity- Tourism

  culture

  golden city - Jaisalmer

  pink city - Jaipur

  blue city - Jodphur

  desert tribes and villages

  fair + festivals

  camel safaris

  desert plants

  animals + birds

  jobs= tour guides, shopkeepers, sell crafts
• Opportunity- Energy

  • solar panels in Bhaleria used for desalination
  • Jaisalmer has 75 wind turbines generating 60MW of electricity
• Challenge- Accessibility

  • limited road network due to high temperatures and large barren areas
  • tarmac melts
  • sand on roads
  • many places only accessible by camel
• Challenge- Extreme Temperatures


  • temperatures exceed 50C in the summer
  • too hot to work outside
  • high rates of evaporation leads to water shortages
• Challenge- water supply


  • population growth = greater demand for water
  • scarce resource
  • low annual rainfall, high temperatures, strong winds, high rates of evaporation
• Challenge- Sources of drinking water

  • natural and man-made ponds
  • few rivers and streams - often intermittent and only flow after rainfall
  • underground aquifers using wells (salty)
  • Indira Ghandi canal