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The Thar Desert ((Energy (Solar - With its sunny, cloudless skies, the…
The Thar Desert
Climate
Temperature
The Thar desert suffers from extreme temperatures, sometimes an exceeding 50 degrees in the summer.
These temperatures present challenges for people, animals and any plants living in these environments.
Plants and animals then have to adapt to the extreme temperatures - some animals are nocturnal and come out in the cool of the night. Livestock like goats need shade from the sun.
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Precipitation
Rainfall is limited to 100–500 mm (3.9–19.7 in) per year, mostly falling from July to September.
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Farming
Commercial farming, which has grown in recent decades, has been made possible by irrigation. The construction of the India Ghandi Canal in 1958 has revolutionized farming and crops such as wheat and cotton now thrive in an area that used to be scrubby desert. Other crops grown under irrigation include pulses, sesame, maize and mustard.
Most of the people living in the desert are involved in subsistence farming. They survive in the hot and dry conditions by grazing animals on the grassy areas and cultivating vegetables and fruit trees.
Tourism
Local people benefit by providing food and accommodation and by acting as guides or rearing and looking after the camels.
Desert safaris on camels have become particularity popular with foreigners as well as wealthy Indians from elsewhere in the country.
The Thar Desert has become a popular tourist destination. Tens of thousand visit the desert each year.
Energy
Solar - With its sunny, cloudless skies, the Thar Desert offers ideal conditions for solar power generation. At Bhaleri solar power is used in water treatment.
Wind - Recently there has been a focus on developing wind power, a
Oil - A large oilfield has been discovered in the Barmer district which could transform the local economy.
Coal - There are extensive lignite coal deposits in parts of the Thar Desert and a thermal energy plant has been constructed at Giral.
Landscape
Rainfall is low, between 100 and 240mm per year, and summer temperatures in July can reach 53°C.
The landscape is mainly sandy hills with extensive mobile sand dunes and clumps of thorn forest vegetation - a mixture of small trees, shrubs and grasses
Soils are sandy and not very fertile, with very little organic matter to enrich them. They drain very quickly so there is no surface water. In July temperatures can reach up to 53 degrees.
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