Cholistan Desert, Pakistan

Item Type text; Article

Authors Akbar, Ghulam; Khan, Taj Naseeb; Arshad, Mohammad

Citation Akbar, G., Khan, T. N., & Arshad, M. (1996). Cholistan Desert, Pakistan. Rangelands, 18(4), 124-128.

Publisher Society for Range Management

Journal Rangelands

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Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/640412 124 RANGELANDS 18(4), August 1996

Cholistan Desert, Pakistan

Ghulam Akbar, Taj Naseeb Khan and MohammadArshad

angelands in Pakistan constitute resorted sandy desert and comprised a century or so. The Hakra civilization about 70% of the total area of of river terraces, large sand dunes, that flourished here was one of the Rthe country. The importance of ridges and depressions (Baig et al. longest in the course of world history. range managementas a discipline 1980; Khan 1987). It was also the earliest civilization of was not recognized until 1954 when a the Indian subcontinent. In cultural development project with the U.S. advancement it can be compared with Government technical and financial History the Mesopotamian, Anatolian, assistance was initiated in Balochistan Egyptian, and Babylonian civilizations province (Rafi 1965). This project Around 4000 B.C. the Cholistan was No one is sure how this a cradle of civilization (FAO 1993). helped policy makers and natural commonly great Aryan civilization ended. resource managers to identify clear known as the Hakra valley civilization. a of such This was when the river Hakra flowed Probably variety problems goals. Range managementwas initiat- as hostile invading tribes, changes in ed with a number of research and through the region. The river supplied the course of the river and of water until 1200 B.C. depletion development projects in areas falling permanent irrigation facilities contributed to the About 600 B.C. it became in under different ecological zones. Initial irregular ultimate disappearance of this great demonstrated flow and vanished within projects successfully consequently civilization (Khan 1987; FAO 1993). some of the water harvesting and sand dune stabilization techniques. Establishment of potentially promising local and introduced forage species in 70 71 72 the Thai desert were also important initial projects. The government has now started its attention on Cl-lot_ISTAN focussing DE SERT the, long ignored, Cholistan desert. Cholistan desert, an extension of Great Indian Desert, is located in southern Punjab province between lat- itudes 27°42' and 29° 45' north and longitude 69° 52' and 75° 24' east (Baig et al. 1980). This desert is com- 4 prised of about 2.6 million hectares q. (FAO 1993). This desert has a length 4- of about 480 km while the width varies 4 from 32 to 192 km (Khan 1987; Chaudhry 1992). Based on the topog- raphy, parent material, soil and vege- 'p + tation the whole Cholistan desert can 0 be divided into two geomorphic I N 0 I A The northern or Lesser regions. region PI4STAN Cholistan borders canal irrigated areas and covers about 7,770 km2 and the southern region or Greater Cholistan is comprised of 18,130 km2. The 7 2. Lesser Cholistan consists of saline alluvial flats (locally called 'dahars') Scale I2,OOO,OOO alternating with low sandy ridges. The _p_ ao so iO a.,. clayey flats of Lesser Cholistan are generally homogenous to a depth ranging from 30 to 90 cm. These soils - are classified as either saline or Ji2 saline-sodic, with pH ranging from 8.2 to 8.4 and from 8.8 to 9.6, respective- Map of Pakistanshowing location of Cholistandesert. ly. The Greater Cholistan is a wind RANGELANDS 18(4), August 1996 125

Climate the entire territory. These plant of water and forage. The onset of species, though slow growing, monsoon and the distributionof rainfall Cholistan is a hot arid sandy desert. respond very well to the favorable cli- mainly dictate the pattern of move- The mean annual rainfall varies from matic conditions and provide ample ment of nomadic herders. Around the less than 100 mm in the west to 200 biomass for livestock consumption. months of March or April, nomadic mm in the east. Rain usually falls dur- Important genera of grasses include households move towards surrounding ing monsoon (July through Cenchrus, Lasiurus and Panic'um. irrigated areas forced there by rising September) and in winter and spring Favored shrubs include Calligonum temperature in the desert and deplet- (January through March). Monsoon and Holoxylon and Prosopis, Zizyphus ed feed and water resources. The rains occur mostly in heavy showers. and Acacia are notable indigenous incentives for this movement include Cholistan is one of the hottest deserts trees (Rao and Arshad 1991). Each temporary employment opportunities in Pakistan. Mean minimum and maxi- site is represented by typical plant within the irrigatedfarming community, mum temperatures are 20° and 40° C, species based on availability of soil grazing of livestock on wheat stubbles, respectively.Temperatures are high in moisture, salinity and plant character- drinking water for human and livestock summer and mostly mild in winterwith istics. and readily available markets for live- no frost. The mean summer tempera- stock and livestock byproducts. ture (May-June) is 34° C with highs Farmers in the irrigated areas in turn reaching nearly 50° C. Annual rainfall Soda-Economic Aspects obtain sufficient labor for crop harvest- is highly variable both on temporal and ing and other farming operations and spatial scales. Aridity is the most strik- The total human population of animal manure to enhance soil fertility ing feature of Cholistan with wet and Cholistan desert is around 1.2 million. through camping of livestock on fallow dry years occurring in clusters. The The economy of the region is predomi- fields. The nomads and their herds have Cholistan was formed predominantly nantly pastoral. People practiced return back to the deserts around July by the deposition of aeolian sands or a nomadic life style for centuries. or August with the news of first mon- alluvium deposits. The alluvium Large herds of camels, cattle, sheep soon showers. Distances travelled and deposits are composed of granites, goats are owned by the nomads. during this migration vary from 10 to schists, gneiss and slates. The soils of The area is not served by a modern 100 km. While in the desert natural Cholistan are generally saline, alkaline communicationsystem and can be tra- vegetation is the main source of feed and gypsiferous. The dunes reach an versed by either camels or jeeps. for livestock. Tobas serve as Local grazing average height of about 100 m. people use camels as a mode of drinking water both for nomads and There are no permanent, natural transportation. Habitations are small their livestock. Tobas are made in and bodies of surface water in Cholistan. extremely scattered (Baig et al. clayey flats locally called dahars in a Factors like low rainfall, high rate of 1980). catchment area to avoid heavy water water infiltration into the sands, and The pastoral system is characterized percolation. Tobas belonging to the high evaporation rate prevent the nat- by mass migrations of animals and same clan are located close the in generally ural accumulation of surface water people throughout year search to each other (often within 1 km (FAO 1993). Fresh (rain) water is col- lected in locally made water ponds called 'tobas. Undergroundwater is at a depth of 30-40 m which, with a few exceptions, is brackish containing salts 9,000-24,000 ppm (Baig et al.. 1980).

Natural Vegetation The vegetation in Cholistan is typical of arid regions and consists of xero- phytic species which are adapted to extreme seasonal temperatures, moisture fluctuations and wide variety of edaphic conditions. Compared to the hyper arid southern region, vegetation cover is comparatively better in east- ern Cholistan (200 mm rainfall zone). Most of Cholistan is covered by sand dunes. Fortunately, a wide range of nutritious and tolerant drought species A of grasses, shrubs and trees occupy local herder with sheep and goats grazing in the desert. 126 RANGELANDS 18(4), August1996 radius). At the start of the rainy sea- Figure 1. The figure reveals average grazed rangelands. An increasing live- son, livestock graze within one or 2 km annual herd increase of 2.7% for cattle stock population accompaniedwith radius of each toba. This distance and 3.4% for goats and a slight cutting of vegetation by the desert increases to about 15 km as the sea- decline in the numbers of sheep and pastoralists for meeting their domestic son progresses. During October and camels. All livestock are indigenous requirements for construction of November, when water resources breeds well suited to the environment. thatched houses, fuelwood and cloth become almost totally depleted, each Herd reproductiveperformance is nat- washing has seriously deterioratedthe clan moves its herds to semi-perma- urally poor with low birth rates and plant cover (FAQ 1993). One should nent centers equipped with a series of high mortality (FAQ 1993). also realize that most of the native traditional (hand-dug and unlined) vegetation of Cholistan is either mod- wells and kunds (usually lined) (FAO erately palatable or unpalatable due to 1993). Range Management:Past and selective and persistent grazing of the The nomads manage their mixed Present palatable species. livestock in such a way that milking Although range areas are in poor cows are moved nearby the urban Total area available in Cholistan for grazing shape they have potential for centers where milk is sold readily grazing is estimated to be 2.3 million development.There is a dire need for hectares.The Greater Cholistan is sel- while otheranimals like camels, goats, research directed toward improving sheep and bullocks are kept in the dom used for grazing due to lack of carrying capacities of Cholistan desert for grazing. Nomads attach water and inaccessibility. Average ranges. Improvements to maintain a high values to their herds. Livestock range forage production is about 168 balance between livestock and the Total are the main source of their survival kg/ha (FAQ 1993). carrying vegetation for sustained productivity in and a number of cultural norms are capacity for the area being currently the area needs emphasis (Khan linked with the animals. Livestock are grazed is estimated at 687,500 A.U.M.'s with 1987). frequently used for meat, milk and, grazing capacity of 3.24 The Provincial Forest Departmentof gifts. Communal ceremonies like wed- hectares per A.U.M. Based on these Punjab started a range management Cholistan dings, funerals, and tribal celebrations calculations, grazing project during 1963. To solve prob- include slaughtering and exchange of grounds may provide feed for 140,000 lems with brackish undergroundwater, animals. A person's status in the animal units for a 5 months period. the activities includedconstruc- The project desert nomadic life style is chiefly rep- livestock population of Cholistan tion of ponds to collect rain water for resented by the size of the herd he is increasing and according to recent human and livestock A estimates is consumption. owns. well above 150,000 ani- total number of 487 ponds were creat- Numbers and trend in the Cholistari mal units. This increase has placed ed. with was on Range reseeding grasses livestock population is summarized in greater pressure presently over- also attempted but failed due to unfa- vorable climatic conditions, socio-economic factors, and inadequate plan- ning. Moreover, nomadic grazing style prevalent in the desert did not conform to the modern and planned grazing / 4- systems (Khan 1971; Sheikh and 25O Hafeez 1977). During 1975 the Pakistan A Agricultural Research Council estab- 2OO-' lished an Arid Zone Research Station. :/r The stations main objectives were to — develop a regional capability for tack- L VI the of arid areas and to 150- ling problems develop best managementtechniques for existing landuses. To achieve this objective the station carried out a ag- ioo-Vi number of activities including evaluation of a wide range of grasses, trees, shrubs and forage legumes. Promising 5O, 197576 forage species were arranged not only lQ8O81 from local sources but also from devel- 1985186 oped countries like the USA and 1991192 Australia. The trials were conducted Cattl Sheep Goeta Camek3 for several years in the desert environment and potential species were selected for scale introduction Fig 1. Livestockpopulation of Cholistan desertover different years. large and multiplication. Some of the RANGELANDS 18(4), August 1996 127

tosociological surveys of desert area and evaluation of different ecotypesof desert grasses for drought tolerance, and forage production. The emphasis is to develop the ways and means for greater participation of the desert pastoral community in range development activities.

Future Challenges A clear message from the past 40 years of range management efforts is that development of range resource in any ecological setting is directly relat- ed with its compatibility to the prevail- ing socio-economicpatterns. People in Cholistan do not follow those grazing systems that rely heavily on fenced- of in the boundaries. Under a tribal situation Planting promising forage grasses desert has successfully been carried out where land is a common fences without disturbingthe natural vegetation. entity, serve as a sign of hatred. People loose their trust in government agen- selected include Cenchrus cii- In additionto the Arid Zone Research cies and consciously or unconsciously species do not and hence make iaris, Cenchrus setigerus, Panicum Station some other agencies like cooperate such management a failure. turgidum, Panicum chiora turn, Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies of Restrictions on movement of nomads Panicum antidotale, Panicum maxi- Islamia University, Bahawalpur and their beasts is not liked at all. mum, Lasuirus scindicus, Chiorus (Pakistan) is also contributing signifi- Under situations like that of and iociadus. gayana Sporobolus cantly to overall range development Cholistan, where both people and veg- Among trees Prosopis cineraria, efforts. This institute is collaborating etation behave in an opportunistic Acacia nilotica, Zizyphus nummularia actively with the Arid Zone Research manner, people keep on moving after and Zizyphus mauritiana have shown Station. Studies are underwayon phy- the rain. Similarly, when considering greater promise. Among shrubs a number of Atriplex species and Jojoba (Simmondsiachinensis) are highly successful. These plant species are being used for reseeding, planting and sand dune stabilization. Economically viable water harvesting techniques have been developed after long term and careful evaluation. Among these, pitcher irrigation is the most successful. Jojoba plants are planted along side earthen pitchers. Jojoba plants take about three years to produce seeds. A farmer is interested in short- term economic returns. To mitigate this problem, suitable creeping type vegetable crops like Gourd and water melon (Citrulus lanatus) are being raised along pitchers to get maximum utilization of seepage water and to harvest immediate cash returns. These vegetable crops and water mel- ons not only provide immediate produce for a household use but also side a Pitcher is filled with water once in a week. serve as a mulch for the Jojoba plant planted along pitcher. jojoba plant The water seeps out of the pores of the pitcher and becomes available to the plant. This to save from hot desert it desiccating technique has yielded highly successfulresults in terms ofplant survival in the desert. In winds. the background, vegetables(Gourd) growing along pitcher are also visible. 128 RANGELANDS 18(4), August 1996 vegetation, the well known theory of plant succession and References climax communitiesdoes not hold. According to this theory, the vegetation can be expected to follow a predictable path Balg, M.S., M. Akram and M. A. Hassan. 1980. Possibilitiesfor of recovery once the grazing pressure is relieved. In hot range development in Cholistan desert as reflected by its phys- arid conditions, even when is relieved, iographyand soils. Pak. Jour. For. 30:61-71. grazing pressure S. A. 1992. The Cholistan desert. A token recoveryof vegetation is dictated by the uncertain but Chaudhry, consultancy favorable incidents of rainfall and Moisture report. Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies, Islamia University, temperature. Bahawalpur,Pakistan. pp:34. (Unpublished). and temperature are the key factors for the recovery of Khan, C. M. A. 1971. Range managementstrategy in Pakistan-i. range health. Another approach that has yielded negative Pak. Jour. For. 21 (3)313-324. response from a nomadic community is our advocacy for Khan, S.R.A. 1987. Desert Agriculture in Cholistan. Arid Zone Research Quetta reduction of herd size. People do not like this idea because Institute, - (unpublished). the larger herd a pastoralist owns the more secure he feels FAO, 1993. Pakistan Cholistan Area Development project. under harsh environmental conditions. Report No. 59/53 ADB-PAK 58 (Final version). Food and Under the scenario is to AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations,Rome. presented above, it imperative M. M. 1965. Maslakh West Pakistan understandthe delicate balance between and non-liv- RafI, Range Project, Quetta, living (A review of its first ten years). Pak. Jour. For. 15(4):319-338. ing components under a given set of conditions. The Rao, A.R. and M. Arshad. 1991. Perennial grasses of Cholistan human factor is the most important element of living com- desert and their distribution. In: Proceedingsof national seminar and its needs must not be overlooked. With on 'peoples participation in the management of resources in ponent special arid lands' November 1991. Islamia referenceto Cholistan, the needs of the desert 11-13, University, pastoralists Bahawalpur, Pakistan.pp: 6-11. are few and their demands are simple. They should be Shelkh, MI. and M. Hafeez. 1977. Forests and forestry in given an even chance to fight the battle against the cruel Pakistan.Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar. and unsparing desert (FAQ 1993). Their problems include: A of water for both human and animal (*) shortage drinking Ghulam AKbar, Ph.D., and Taj N. Khan are Deputy Director and populations(*) Basic health facilities for both human beings ScientificOfficer, respectivelyat And Zone Research Station (Pakistan and their livestock (*) Marketing facilities to sell their live- Agricultural Research Council) P.O. Box: 93, Bahawalpur, Pakistan- stock and livestock-based such as embroi- 61300. Mohammad Arshad is Research Officer (Plant Science) in products (wool, Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies, Islamia University, Bahawalpur, dery works, camel and goat hair mats, animal fat (Ghee), Pakistan. milk etc). granite

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