Developing hot deserts

The Thar Desert

The Thar Desert covers about 200,000 km² of north-west India (mostly in Rajasthan) and eastern Pakistan. It is one of the most densely populated deserts in the world: many people farm and herd goats, sheep and camels.

Rain falls mainly in the summer , and varies a lot from year to year. Sand dunes cover much of the west.

The Thar offers real opportunities for development, but also big challenges.

Opportunities: minerals and energy

the Thar has valuable minerals, such as gypsum (used in plaster and cement), feldspar (for ceramics), phosphorite (for fertiliser) and kaolin (china clay). There is oil, too: the Mangala oil field in Barmer district was discovered in 2004.

Energy: the desert has strong sunshine and wind, and lots of open land.

Bhadla Solar Park, in Jodhpur district, is one of the largest solar parks in the world, with a capacity of about 2,245 MW.
Wind farms stand near Jaisalmer.

This goes to cities across India.

Key terms

Opportunities: farming and tourism

Farming: the Indira Gandhi Canal, begun in 1958, brings water about 650 km from the Himalayan rivers of Punjab into the desert. from it lets farmers grow wheat, cotton and mustard where there was once only scrub.

visitors come to see the desert and its culture:

the fort city of Jaisalmer;
camel safaris into the dunes and nights camping in the desert;
the Desert Festival at Jaisalmer, with music, dance and camel races.

Tourism brings jobs for guides, drivers, hotel workers and craftspeople.

Key terms

Challenges of developing the Thar

Extreme temperatures: summer heat makes outdoor work hard and dangerous. Phalodi recorded 51.0 °C on 19 May 2016, India's highest temperature on record.
Water supply: rain is low and unreliable. Water evaporates fast from canals and fields, and over-irrigation brings salts to the surface (), harming crops. Wells are getting deeper as groundwater is used up.
many villages are far from good roads, and shifting sand can bury roads and tracks. This makes it costly to bring in machinery, build mines and power lines, and get crops and goods to market.

Key terms

How far do the opportunities outweigh the challenges?

Energy and minerals bring jobs and money, and solar and wind power suit the desert well. But many of the profits and much of the power go to cities and companies elsewhere.
has made farming possible across large areas, but at a cost: evaporation and salinisation.
earns income without using much water, but it is seasonal, mainly in the cooler winter months.

Judgement: technology, such as canals and solar parks, has made many of the opportunities possible. Water is still the biggest challenge, and development will only last if it is used carefully.

Exam tip

A 9-mark answer weighs both sides and uses Thar facts: the canal, Bhadla and Phalodi.

Exam practice

Plan your own answer first, then open the model answers to see what each level looks like.

9 marks · about 9 minutes

Evaluate the opportunities and challenges of developing a hot desert environment.

Evaluate means: Judge strengths and weaknesses or successes and failures, then reach a conclusion.

Link it

Use the facts from:

The Thar Desert (Rajasthan, north-west India, and eastern Pakistan, Present day)

Level 1 (Basic)· 3/9 marks (band 1–3)

Deserts have opportunities such as solar power and tourism. But it is very hot and there is not much water.

Why this level: Simple opportunities and challenges with no case study and no judgement. To reach Level 2: use a named desert, with facts, to explain the opportunities and challenges.

Level 2 (Clear)· 5/9 marks (band 4–6)

The Thar Desert has opportunities. Bhadla Solar Park has a capacity of about 2,245 MW, and minerals such as gypsum are mined. The Indira Gandhi Canal carries water about 650 km into the desert so crops can be grown. However, there are challenges: Phalodi reached 51.0 °C in 2016, and many villages are far from good roads.

Why this level: Clear, accurate opportunities and challenges from the Thar. But it doesn't weigh them up or reach a judgement. To reach Level 3: evaluate which matter most, and whether the opportunities outweigh the challenges.

Level 3 (Detailed)· 8/9 marks (band 7–9)

The Thar Desert, in north-west India, offers real opportunities. Its sunshine supports Bhadla Solar Park, with a capacity of about 2,245 MW, and wind farms near Jaisalmer. Minerals such as gypsum and kaolin are mined, and the Mangala oil field was discovered in 2004. The Indira Gandhi Canal carries water about 650 km into the desert, making farming possible, and tourists visit Jaisalmer's fort and go on camel safaris, bringing jobs without using much water. However, the challenges are severe. Temperatures are extreme: Phalodi reached 51.0 °C in 2016. Water is scarce, and irrigation causes salinisation as water evaporates, while wells are deepening as groundwater is used up. Many villages are far from good roads, and shifting sand can bury tracks, raising costs. Overall, technology such as solar parks and canals has unlocked the opportunities, but water remains the biggest limit, so development is only sustainable if water is managed carefully.

Why this level: Detailed, accurate evidence on both opportunities and challenges, evaluated against each other, with a clear and justified judgement. This is Level 3.

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