THAR DESERT:
It has been nearly seven years since the residents of the Thar desert in Pakistan saw a decent amount of rainfall, but this year has been different. This year’s rains have transformed the harsh landscape, and its inhabitants. Farmers are tilling their land, planting seeds, and for the first time in years, expecting a good harvest. The transformation of the desert landscape has attracted tourists from all over the Pakistan to marvel at the grass-lined roadways that were, until recently, just drab sand and stone.
Located in in the south of Pakistan’s Sindh province, bordering India to the east, the Thar desert is home to many varieties of indigenous trees, herbs, and grasses. It is the latter that provides feed for more than 6 million livestock.
Natural features
There are three principal landforms in the desert region:
The predominantly sand covered Thar
Plains with hills including the central dune free country
Hills
The Thar Desert is distinguished by a series of rolling sand dunes that vary in height across the desert. While sand dunes are a common occurrence in deserts across the world, the dunes of the Thar are remarkable for their continual motion. In sharp contrast to the mountain ranges that ring the desert, the sandy desert floor is always in motion. The perpetual movement of the desert, while contributing the the desert's beauty, has had a prohibitive effect for permanent human settlement, as the sands can easily be blown over structures. The sands are particularly mobile due to severe winds in the region, which sweep the sands over areas of fertile soil. The layer of sand over much of the available farming land hinders agricultural development in the region. Some of the sand dunes of the Thar have become semi stabilized over time, and while not completely sedentary, these older dunes move only very small degrees. Older sand dunes can reach a height of 500 feet.
Dotted among the sands of the Thar, several salt water lakes provide a unique and welcome environment for desert dwelling creatures. While the water of the lakes cannot be consumed by humans, they support much needed shelter and viable farmland. The abundance of salt water, however, also serves to highlight the extreme lack of drinkable water in the Thar Desert. Annual rainfall in the region is particularly low, measuring from 4-20 inches, most of which falls during the monsoon season. It is difficult to estimate annual precipitation for the Thar Desert however, as rainfall often varies widely from year to year.
Vegetation:
The harsh natural environment and extreme temperature variations found in the Thar Desert have combined to severely inhibit the growth of vegetation. Most of the native plants grow in small clumps, without a system of order regulating where the clumps grow or any standard number of plants in a vegetation grouping. The plants which have been most successful in the difficult environment have adapted to the conditions of the desert. It is important, in particular for plants, to have developed water storage systems to be able to provide much needed water to themselves during the dry season. Significant plants of the desert include gum, Arabic acacia, and euphorbia. However, these plants are only found on the rocky slopes of the hills.
Wildlife:
Stretches of sand in the desert are interspersed by hillocks and sandy and gravel plains. Due to the diversity of ecosystems that exist within the Thar, a varied and thriving wildlife population calls the desert their home. Both vegetation and animal life in this arid region are very rich. About 23 species of lizard and 25 species of snakes are found here; several of them are endemic to the region.
The most notable example of a preserved ecosystem is the Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, which provides an excellent example of the natural wildlife of the region. In this park, Great Indian Bustards, Blackbucks, Chinkaras, the Indian Gazelle, the Indian Wild Ass, and Desert Foxes are common. These are species which are fast vanishing in other parts of India. Despite the apparent difficulty of life in the desert, the animals in the Desert National Park have found ways to adapt and thrive. The park supports these wild and naturally occurring populations of species that are threatened with existence elsewhere. It is also noted for rich seashell and petrified wood deposits.
The animals which are found in the Desert National Park exhibit many of the adaptations that are necessary for survival in the desert. These animals, along with those animals found outside the reserve, often exhibit a smaller body size, one example of biological adaptation to the region. In addition, many of the desert animals are nocturnal, a trait which allows them to avoid the sweltering heat of the day.
There are certain other factors responsible for the survival of these animals in the desert. Due to the lack of water in this region, transformation of the grasslands into cropland has been very slow. The protection provided to them by a local community, the Bishnois, is also a factor.
Conservation:
The Thar Desert faces a distinct environmental threat from the loss of land through wind erosion. The harsh winds of the Thar sweep the sands across the plains and into its awe–inspiring sand dune formations. However, the winds also erode valuable farming land and threaten livestock grazing areas. In an attempt to hinder the wind erosion, plants species and trees have been planted in many areas to help keep the sands attached to the ground. The new windbreaks also provide much needed shelter.
In order to plant the necessary windbreaks, it has become necessary to import exotic plants into the region. The native plants are noted for their slow growth patterns, and windbreaks must mature quickly to be fully effective. The Acacia tortillis has proven most adaptable to the Thar. While the induction of foreign plants is helping the wind erosion issues, the introduction of exotic plants into any environment threatens to overthrow the preexisting environmental balance.
CLIMATE:
The climate is hot and dry. The highest recorded Thar Desert temperature is 43 degrees centigrade, while the lowest recorded temperature is 8 degrees centigrade with a rainfall of 4 inches to 100mm annually.
THE RAINY DAY
RELIGION:
Most of the population is the followers of Hinduism. According to a survey in 2017, seventy percent of the population is Hindus, while the remaining thirty percent of the population is Muslims.
The inhabitant of the Cholistan, who belong to different castes and sects, has a rich tradition, culture, folk tales, and heritage, music, and dances festivals. Hindus of the desert celebrate Dewali with full zeal while the Muslim community of the region celebrates Eid –ul- Fitr and Eid-ul- Adha once a year.
ANCIENT LITERATURE:
Rig-Veda River, named as the River of Sarasvati, was mentioned in the ancient text of Hindus. The Rig-Vida hymn mentioned the River Saravasti between Sutlej and Yamuna, which was dried up and mentioned by Vedic texts like Mahabharata. The Vedic text mentioned the region as a forest named Kamyaka, which was located on Kuru Kingdom’s boundary.
A lake is also mentioned in the name of Kamyaka in Vedic Texts. The forest of Kamyaka was said to be located in the head/center of the desert near the lake of Trinavindu. A river under the name of Asvanvati was also mentioned by the Hindu book Rig-Veda, but many scholars suggested that Asvanvati and Sarasvati are the same rivers.
0 Comments