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Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India - Coggle Diagram
Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India
Development opportunities
Mining
the desert has valuable reserves of minerals such as feldspar, phospherite, gypsum and kaolin.
These minerals are used to produce a range of things from cement to fertilisers and are therefore valuable.
Limestone and marble are also quarried in the area.
Limestone for building and producing cement
marble is used in construction.
Mining provides employment
Mining leads to infrastructure improvements
Energy generation
Wind
Wind energy is used to generate electricity. A wind farm consisting of 75 wind turbines has the capacity to produce 60 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
Solar
energy is produced in the Thar Desert using solar panels. This energy is used to clean water supplies contaminated with salt
(desalination)
The Thar has significant solar energy potential because of its high levels of sunshine.
Farming
irrigation
has made commercial farming possible. Growing crops on a large scale
Indira Gandhi Canal irrigation has allowed agriculture to expand in parts of the Thar.
Crops such as wheat, cotton and mustard can be grown where irrigation is available.
commercial arable farming
Producing crops such as wheat and cotton has created many jobs and generated income for the local economy.
Tourism
120 species found there
explore the desert with local guides on camels.
Tourism is an important source of income
creates many jobs for local people.
Jaisalmer is an important tourist destination. Improving desert conditions will encourage tourists to go past the city into the desert
Tourism is associated with desert safaris/camel rides, forts and local culture.
Challenges of development
Extreme temperatures
temperatures in the Thar Desert can exceed 50°C in the summer months.
It is hard for people to farm, work in mines or as tourist guides during these months as it is simply too hot.
This makes development difficult.
Water supply
the supply of water to the Thar Desert is precious and limited.
wnly 120-240 mm of rain falling per year in the desert, water must be used sensibly and
sustainably
Without water the development of mining, farming and tourism and therefore the economy would not be possible.
water logging
Some parts of the desert have experienced over-irrigation, which has caused waterlogging of the ground
waterlogging
Here the excess water has evaporated, leaving a layer of salt on the surface making it difficult to grow crops.
Inaccessibility
the desert covers a huge area of 200,000 sq km
Most of the desert is inaccessible due to the extreme environmental conditions and poor inaccessabilty
Beyond the city of Jaisalmer, development is limited. This has created a honeypot site
Inaccessibility to many parts of the desert has led to greater differences between rich and poor.