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Desertification Control and Management of Land Degradation in the Thar Desert of India

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Abstract

India has 2.34 million km2 of hot desert called Thar located in the north-western part of Rajasthan between latitudes 23°3′ and 30°12′ North and longitudes 63°30′ and 70°18′ East. The Indian desert is spreading annually over 12000 ha of productive land degrading it and slowly advancing towards the national capital New Delhi at the rate of 0.5 km per year. The Indian desert is characterised by huge shifting sand dunes; high wind speed; scarce rainfall; and intense solar radiation. Tremendous efforts have been made since the 1960s to arrest desertification and for ecological restoration of the Thar desert. An Ambitious afforestation programme including ‘stabilisation of shifting sand dunes’ and creation of ‘micro-climates’ through ‘tree-screens’ and ‘shelter-belt’ plantation was launched by the forest department of Rajasthan. A huge canal, 649 km long was also introduced to the Thar desert for ecological restoration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, 302004, India

    Surendra Singh Chauhan

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  1. Surendra Singh Chauhan
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Chauhan, S.S. Desertification Control and Management of Land Degradation in the Thar Desert of India. The Environmentalist 23, 219–227 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ENVR.0000017366.67642.79

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ENVR.0000017366.67642.79

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