The March of the Desert J

March 15, 1952 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY The March of the Desert J. M. Joshi HE eastward march of the Raja fertile table-lands and wide stretches graphy. It is all covered by sand T sthan desert has caused a stir, of excellent soil. hills, shaped generally in long but not yet a consternation, in the The desert proper, with which straight ridges, which seldom meet, minds of economists and Govern we are more concerned here, covers but run in parallel lines, separated ment. The barren, saline and burn the divisions of Bikaner and Jodh- by short and fairly regular inter ing sands of North-Western Raja- pur and the Shekhawati district of vals, " resembling the ripple-marks sthan are knocking at the gates of the Jaipur division. It thus stretches oh a sea-shore on a magnified scale." Indo-Gangetic plain and the hot from Sind (Pakistan) on the west Some of these sand-hills are two breath of the creeping desert threat to Delhi on the north-east. miles long, varying from 50 to 100 ens to wither its smiling face. The The desert has played an import feet or even more in height. Their physical geography of India may be ant role in history, having proved summits arc blown into wave-like changed beyond recognition unless since times immemorial " a more curves by the periodical westerly this continuous march of the desert effective barrier to the advance of winds. Their sides are scoured by is stopped. The problem has be armies than the Indus itself" water, and from a distance, they come an acute one for those who (Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909, look like low hills. They are arc vitally concerned with increas Vol, I, p. 33). For the develop sparsely covered with stunted shrubs ing the food production of the coun ment of agriculture, however, it has and tufts of coarse grass in the dry try. But before one can prescribe proved a curse, as we shall pre season, while light rains clothe them the right remedy, it is necessary to sently see. It is a vast expanse of with vegetation. It is the south study the topography of Rajasthan wind-blown sand, sparsely popu west winds which sometimes attain in general, and of the sandy tracts lated and with a scanty rainfall. a velocity of 40 miles per hour in particular. Hence, the dreaded name for it, which have transported inland Rajasthan lies between North Marudesh, the " Dead Lands". clouds of sand and dust, derived in Latitude 23°3' and 30°r2' and East With the exception of the sub a great measure from the Runn of Longitude 6o°3o' and 78°17'. Thus, montane tracts of Jodhpur division, dutch, the sea-coast and the basin geographically, this tract forms the which lie immediately below the of the lower Indus and have creat north-western portion of Tndia and Aravallis, this tract is sandy, water ed sand-dunes — locally called lies between the very dry, almost less and unproductive, but the cha " dhoras " or " tibas "—of gigantic rainless, valley of the lower Indus racter of the terrain improves shape. The consistence of these " dhoras " is frequently so loose that and the plateau of Malwa. On the gradually as one passes from the men and animals stepping off the map, it looks like an irregular paral far-west and north-west. The land beaten track, sink as if in snow. lelogram, with east-west and north- is comparatively fertile and habit For these lands, it has been said that south diagonals about 540 and 510 able towards the north-cast. The there are " more spears than spear- miles long. Incidentally, Rajasthan " Great Desert", comprising the grass heads", and " blades of steel is the second biggest State in India whole of Rajasthan-Sind frontier, grow better than blades of corn ". in point of area, extends from the edge of the Rutin The only river of the tract is the Rajasthan is divided into distinct of dutch beyond the Luni river Luni. natural regions by the Aravalli northward; between it and the range of hills. The Aravalli system "Little Desert" on the east, the land Now the question arises, how intersects the State from end to end is not so sterile, consisting of rocky could these desert sands dare enter and forms a line running north-east tracts, cut up by limestone ridges, the lands beyond the Aravalli range? and south-west, from Delhi to the which protect it to some extent from The answer lies in the general plains of Gujrat, and is about 430 the desert sands. The '"little desert" make-up of the Aravalli range. Of miles long. The two parts into which runs up from the Luni river between course, from Abu north-east to Rajasthan is thus divided arc un Jaisalmer and Jodhpur into the Ajmer, the unbroken range stands equal; about three-fifths of the northern wastes. The whole region like a barricade and effectively State lie to the north-west of this is parched, sand-bound and arid protects the country behind it from range and about two-fifths to the except for a man-made oasis around the inilux of sand. But beyond south-east. It is this north-western Ganganagar, where the late Maha Ajmer and again to the north-east, part that embraces the " great " and raja of Bikaner made the desert although the general elevation and " little " deserts of India, with the " blossom as the rose ". run of the ridges have to some ex scantiest and most uncertain rain Over much of this region, in the tent checked the spread of sand fall and, as a result, most liable to pre-historie ages, flowed the waters from the west, yet sand has drifted famine. Quite different in point of the Indian Ocean. Indeed, in through many openings and gaps of climate, rainfall and soil is the many parts of Jaisalmer, one can among the hills, and has overlaid portion of Rajasthan lying on the still sec the imprint of a tide that large tracts on the eastern side of eastern side of the Aravalli range. had withdrawn, leaving great the line. It is higher, more fertile and' diver stretches of thirsty, flat rock gasp This onward march of the sands sified in physical character. It con ing in the sunlight. And, where from the Runn of dutch could tains long ranges of hills, stretches once the ocean's waters ebbed and have been prevented, had there of rocky wold and woodland. The flowed, now the desert tide ad been forests even of a modest region is traversed by a number of vances, slowly but inexorably. growth in these desert lands. But, rivers—the Chambal, the lianas, The desert, " overlying this unfortunately, neither the poor soil the Banganga, etc.—and in some ancient bed of a great primeval nor the scanty rainfall allow forests parts of it, there are wide valleys, sea,'' has the same monotonous topo to grow. The whole of this region 278 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY March 15, 1952 It is very difficult to get any data, now been fully recognised by the but there was some evidence to Central Government and the State show that between Sheo and Jodh Governments of Rajasthan, PEPSU pur there are places where soil is and UP alike. disappearing at the rate of 25,000 The main problem is to change tons per sq. mile each year, and the physical features of the coun this has been going on regularly for try. It is not one man's task. The at least 50 to 100 years. There solution lies in controlling the were places where there was some source of sands and winds. It is evidence to show that six crores of gratifying to note that the Central maunds of surface soil per sq. mile Government? has appointed a com had disappeared." (H. Howard— mittee of experts to examine a A Note on a Tour in jodhpur scheme for arresting the march of Thus, this desert region does not State, 1944, p. 5.) Similarly, about the desert in Rajasthan. The mem support even one per cent of the the sandy tracts of Jaipur unit, viz., bers of the committee are at pre total area as forests. Not only are Sikar and Jhunjhuna districts, the sent touring the sandy wastes of this these forests of a very poor quality, same author remarked: "There are region. The scheme embraces many but they arc situated, for the most places where this wind erosion has inter-related problems. It is both part, on the western slopes of the been removing as much as 26,000 multi-purpose and comprehensive. Aravalli hills in the tehsils of Bali, tons of earth per sq. mile for at The first step contemplated is the Desuri, Sojat, Jaitaran, Parbatsar, least 50 to 60 years." (op. cit., p. 9.) fixation of sands on the sea-board of Siwana, Jalore and Jaswantpura. This phenomenon occurs all over Kathiawar and Cutch by construct The vast sandy tracts are devoid of the sandy tracts of Rajasthan. ing wind-belts and sand-dunes at any vegetation worth the name. It is not difficult to establish a the mouth of the river Luni which In the absence of forests in west correlation between wind erosion drains into the Runn of Cutch. ern Rajasthan and due to the bro in Rajasthan and the eastward Simultaneously, and this is a very ken ridge of the Aravallis from march of the desert. After all, important part of the project, the Ajmer north-eastward, the sands of where do these sands go? Of course, scheme contemplates afforestation Rajasthan have always been at towards the leeway—to the glitter of the critical zones.

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