CASE STUDY - Human uses of a Hot Desert in an LEDC - Thar Desert, India
Facts and Location
The desert has a population density of over 80 people per km2. (Other deserts have
population densities below 10 per km2). There are many mobile sand dunes, and sandy hills.
The Indira Gandhi Canal helps irrigate
the land in the Thar Desert
Economic opportunities in the desert
Subsistence farming - As the climate and landscape is so challenging people just keep a few
animals on grassy areas and cultivate some vegetables and fruit trees. Subsistence farming
means the farmers only grow enough food for them and their family with little surplus. In
good years there may be a little surplus which can be sold. There are some huntergatherers called the Kohil tribe.
Irrigation and commercial farming - Irrigation in parts of the Thar Desert has revolutionised
farming in the area. The main form of irrigation in the desert is the Indira Gandhi Canal. The
canal was constructed in 1958 and has total length of 650km, Two of the main areas to
benefit are centred on the cities of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, where over 3,500 km squared of
land is under irrigation. Commercial farming in the form of crops such as wheat and cotton
now flourishes in an area that use to scrub desert. The canal also provides drinking water to
many people in the desert.
Mining and industry - The state of Rajasthan is rich in minerals. There are large reserves of
gypsum (used in making plaster for the construction industry and in making cement),
feldspar (used to make ceramics), phospherite (used for making fertiliser) and kaolin ( used
a whitener in paper). Also large amounts of limestone used in India's building industry.
Some money is also made from local hide and wool industries.
Tourism - In the last few years, the Thar Desert, with its beautiful landscapes, has become a
popular tourist destination. Desert safaris on camels, based at Jaisalmer, have become
particularly popular with foreigners as well as wealthy Indians from elsewhere in the
country. Local people benefit by acting as guides or by rearing and looking after camels.
Future Challenges
The Thar Desert faces a number of challenges for the future:





Population pressure - the Thar Desert is the most densely populated desert in the world,
with a population density of 83 people per square km, and the population is increasing. This
is putting extra pressure on the fragile desert ecosystem and leading to overgrazing, over
cultivation and ultimately desertification
Water management - excessive irrigation in some places has led to water logging of the
ground. Where this has happened, salts, poisonous to plants have been deposited on the
ground surface. This is called salinisation and is a big problem in deserts. Elsewhere,
excessive demand for water has caused an unsustainable fall in water tables
Soil erosion - over cultivation and overgrazing have damaged the vegetation in places,
leading to soil erosion by wind and rain. Once eroded away, the soil takes thousands of
years to reform
Fuel - reserves of firewood, the main source of fuel, are dwindling with the result that
people are using manure as fuel rather than using it to improve the quality of the soil
Tourism - although tourists bring benefits such as employment and extra incomes, the
environment that they have come to enjoy is fragile and will suffer if tourism becomes
overdeveloped
Sustainable management




A number of approaches have been adopted to address the challenges of living in the Thar
Desert and to provide its people with a sustainable future. In 1977 the government-funded
Desert Development Programme was started. Its main aims are to restore the ecological
balance of the region by conserving, developing and harnessing land, water, livestock and
human resources. In Rajasthan it has been particularly concerned with developing forestry
and addressing the issue of sand dune stabilisation
Forestry - the most important tree in the Thar Desert is the Prosopis Cineraria. It is
extremely well suited to the hostile conditions of the desert and has multiple uses.
Scientists at the Central Arid Zone Research Institute have developed a hardy breed of plum
tree called a Ber tree, It produces large fruits and can survive in low rainfall conditions, The
fruits can be sold and there is the potential to make a decent profit
Stabilising sand dunes - the sand dunes in the Thar Desert are very mobile. In some areas
they form a threat to farmland, roads and waterways. Various approaches have been
adopted to stabilise the sand dunes, including planting blocks of trees and establishing
shelterbelts of trees and fences alongside roads and canals
Thar Desert National Park - The Thar Desert National Park has been created to protect
some 3,000 square km of this arid land and the endangered and rare wildlife that has
adapted to its extreme conditions
Tasks
Complete the tasks below to show your understanding of the case study.
What are the challenges of this environment for local people?
What is the difference between subsistence and commercial farming?
Describe the characteristics of these two types of farming in the Thar Desert.
Apart from farming what other economic activities take place in the desert?
Describe the process of salinization.
Why is salinisation a problem for the future?
Suggest ways of reducing the problem of salinization.
Apart from salinisation, what other challenges face the people of the Thar Desert in the
future?
Apart from stabilising sand dunes, what other benefits do trees bring?
Is sand dune stabilisation a form of sustainable management? Explain your answer.
4 Use a case study of a hot desert area in a poorer part of the
world to describe how people use the area to make a living.
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
(6 marks)
Extra Space
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................
...................................................................