How Rajasthan Tamed the Thar: The 70-Year Battle That Stopped the Desert from Moving

Jaipur: For decades, shifting sand dunes were among the biggest challenges facing western Rajasthan, with strong desert winds routinely burying fields, blocking roads and irrigation channels, and swallowing grazing lands. Villagers often spent days clearing sand after major dust storms, while farmers and pastoralists struggled with repeated losses.

That landscape is now changing. As the world marks World Environment Day on June 5, Rajasthan’s long-running dune stabilisation programme is being cited as one of India’s most sustained ecological restoration efforts. Over the past seven decades, nearly four lakh hectares of sand dunes across the Thar Desert have been stabilised through scientific interventions led by the ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur, in partnership with the Rajasthan forest department.

The initiative began in 1952 with the establishment of the Desert Afforestation Station in Jodhpur to address desertification. The institution later evolved into CAZRI, which developed low-cost methods using native grasses, shrubs and trees to anchor shifting sand and reduce wind erosion. Districts including Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer, once highly vulnerable to moving dunes, are now reporting visible ecological recovery.

“Earlier, every strong windstorm meant sand entering our fields, pathways and grazing areas. We spent considerable time clearing sand and arranging fodder for livestock,” said Hindu Singh Tamlore, president of the Barmer Sarpanch Association. “Today, the dunes are far more stable, grass cover has improved and fodder is available closer to the village.”

CAZRI’s long-term assessments show a significant decline in active sand dune areas, translating into fewer fields being buried and more stable grazing grounds. A recent impact assessment found dune stabilisation increased crop yields by an average of 14.5%, with the highest gains in moth bean and cluster bean, said Priyabrata Santra, principal scientist (soil physics) and head of natural resources division at ICAR-CAZRI.

Researchers estimate each hectare of stabilised dune generates nearly nine tonnes of fuelwood and 0.27 tonnes of fodder annually, reducing labour by about 36 man-days a year, with major benefits for women collecting fuel and fodder. Soil health has also improved, with organic carbon rising 2.2 times and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium increasing significantly.

Biomass in stabilised dunes rose by 24% to about 11.7 tonnes per hectare, boosting carbon sequestration. The total economic value is estimated at Rs 3.44 lakh per hectare, while increased crop production has generated a gross surplus of Rs 15,785 crore and a net surplus of Rs 13,598 crore, Santra said.