Jaipur : Thar Desert, is that part of Rajasthan where the journey of animals and human life in the scorching heat of fifty degrees for water will make your heart tremble. The dying cattle in this scorching heat, the troubled Thar cattle herder and his life will shock you. Today we will tell you which trees can survive even in this scorching heat.
In this video, we will see how some animals are still maintaining their supremacy even in the face of so much sunlight and bone-melting heat, and we will also learn about the formation, expansion, history, geography, environment, culture of the Thar Desert, which has severe heat. Detailed information about every aspect including climate and vegetation
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The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, extends from eastern Sindh province to Punjab in northwest India and southeast of Pakistan. It is said that the Thar Desert is named after the place Tharparkar located in Pakistan. However, the word Thar is derived from Thal which literally means sand mound. This is the only desert in India spread over a vast area of about two lakh square kilometers. It is the 17th largest desert in the world and the 9th largest hot subtropical desert. 85% of Thar is in India and 15% is in Pakistan. In India, most of it falls in the state of Rajasthan, which is approximately 61% of the total area of Rajasthan. Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner and Jodhpur districts are the main parts of the Thar Desert, but a large part of this desert also falls in Nagaur, Hanumangarh, Ganganagar and Churu districts. Thar is spread not only in Rajasthan but also in a vast area of provinces like Mirpur, Khas, Hyderabad and Sindh of Pakistan.
Today’s Thar was an integral part of a huge ocean millions of years ago, which got separated from the ocean over time due to the movement of the earth’s plates. Due to geographical changes, the water in this entire area dried up completely and the land here emerged as sandy land. With time, due to climate change, this area gradually turned into a desert. Today, even though this area is barren and is full of hundreds of challenges, it is an extension of the beauty of nature which tells its own story. The sand found in the Thar Desert is a transformed form of rocks and sedimentary rocks of the Precambrian era, which are 2.5 billion to 5.7 million years old. The newest layer of sand of this desert is considered to be about 16 lakh years old, which was deposited here by the wind during the modern geological period.
The surface of this desert is uneven and uneven, divided by small sand dunes, sandy plains and small barren hills. Some salt water lakes are found in this entire area, which are called Dhandh in the local language. A total of seven categories of soil are found in the Thar region, which include desert soil, desert red soil, brown and black soil, red and yellow soil of Terai, saline soil, seasonal shallow soil and soft friable soil found in hilly areas. All the soils found here are mainly coarse, calcareous, and completely dry, with large concentrations of lime.
The Thar Desert is spread between Rajputana and the lower part of the Indus River valley. Due to severe shortage of water in this desert, it can be crossed only in groups. This desert also forms the boundary line between India and Pakistan, separating Sindh from southern and northwestern India. Due to this, when the Arabs conquered the Sindh area in 1770 AD, they could not expand their kingdom in India due to this desert. On the other hand, the Thar Desert had also prevented the British from establishing their dominance over Sindh for some time. The British were setting their eyes on Sindh province as it was the gateway to Afghanistan and Punjab. However, later after the acquisition of Sindh province by the British, this desert became a part of the Indian British Empire, which was later divided between India and Pakistan.
When the earth burns in the heat of summer and the temperature touches fifty degrees Celsius, then how do the animals and plants here face this challenge? This is really no less than a miracle, but not every animal is so strong. In the early summer itself, cattle go far in search of fodder and due to lack of water, they burn their bodies in this scorching heat. In this area, the severe heat, lack of water and complex climate are the biggest challenges for the cattle rearers as their livelihood depends solely on animal husbandry.
The diverse ecosystem, dry vegetation zone, human culture and animal life of the Thar Desert are quite different from those of other deserts. About 23 species of lizards and 25 species of snakes are found in the Thar Desert. Apart from this, blackbuck and chinkara etc. are also seen in the area related to Kutch of Gujarat. Bird species found here include peacocks, eagles, harriers, falcons, buzzards, kestrels and vultures. Also, some wild species can be seen in the Thar Desert which are on the verge of extinction. The Great Indian Desert is mainly known for the Blackbuck, Great Indian Bustard, Indian Wild Ass, Caracal, Golden Fox etc. Along with this, Desert National Park is located in Jaisalmer in the Thar Desert, where there is a collection of fossils of animals and plants about 180 million years old. In the Desert National Park you can also see 6 million years old dinosaur fossils.
A wide variety of vegetation is found in the Thar Desert, including valuable species of herbs, mainly Acacia jacquemontii, Balanites roxburgii, Calotropis procera, Lycium barbarum, Liberon berbernica, Ziziphus, Zharber, Suave fruticosa, Crotalaria burhia, Aerva liptadenia pyrotechnica. .
Despite the diversity in customs, traditions and costumes, it is a wonderful example of the unity of India. Thar is mainly inhabited by people of both Hindu and Muslim sects, who are divided on the basis of population, complex economic and social basis. The people living in the Thar desert are brave and courageous and are filled with the spirit of patriotism. Due to lack of many sources of employment, animal husbandry is the main business here. People here rear animals like cow, bull, buffalo, goat, sheep, horse and donkey etc., but the main animal reared here is camel. The most important natural resource here is grass, which not only provides natural fodder for animals, but the local people also make medicine from it.
Nearly 40 lakh people have settled in the Thar Desert where it is difficult to even take a breath. These are the people whose livelihood depends on animal husbandry and life on nature. Here people have to walk several kilometers to get a pot of water, sometimes this distance reaches 30 to 40 kilometers. Here water is stored in various ways, in which tanka system is most used. In this, people make a water tank under the ground around their houses, from the lower part of it the rain water goes into the tank, which can be used as per the future water needs. Due to severe water scarcity in this area, seasonal rain water is collected in ponds and reservoirs and used for drinking and other domestic purposes. Due to the salty water here and the water level being very low, underground water is not used.
Apart from wells and reservoirs, canals are also the major source of water in the Thar. Crops like wheat and cotton are grown in this area when water is available. To overcome the water shortage in this area, Sukkar Dam was built on the Indus River in 1932. Along with this, the Ganga Canal originating from Hari Barrage built at the confluence of Sutlej and Beas rivers in Punjab provides irrigation in the northern part of Thar. This canal reaches Thar after traveling a distance of about 470 kilometers in the south-west direction of India.
Although there are not many means of transport in the Thar Desert, but due to its border with Pakistan, Jaisalmer has been connected to the airport and railways. There is a railway line in the southern part of Thar which reaches Suratgarh via Merta Road via Bikaner, and there is another railway line in the northern part which connects Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. The Thar Desert is moving towards the north-east at a speed of half a kilometer every year, due to which in the coming time it will completely change the land use map of India. According to an ISRO report, the Thar Desert, which is considered the identity of Rajasthan, is now spreading its wings in Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh also. Due to this, sixty percent of the people of these states who are making their livelihood on agriculture and forestry are facing the fear of livelihood crisis. But to stop the Thar Desert from expanding further, the Indian government has built the 649 km long Indira Gandhi Canal. A successful effort is being made to bring greenery in the desert areas through this canal. If you want to know the complete information about Indira Gandhi Canal from its construction to how it changed the lives of the people of Rajasthan, then you will find the link to its video in the description. Along with this, the world’s oldest Aravalli mountain range also prevents the Thar Desert from expanding into the rest of the country. To know in detail about the Aravali mountain range, you will find its link in the description of the video.
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