Cholistan Desert

Cholistan Desert Latest News

Recently, Pakistan’s Government decided to halt its ambitious canals project after widespread protests in Sindh.

Why in the News?

• The Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI), launched in 2023, aims to modernise Pakistan’s agriculture sector by providing irrigation infrastructure, introducing advanced technologies, and improving agricultural productivity.
• The Cholistan Canal, a major component of this initiative, was supposed to irrigate about 1.2 million acres of land in southern Punjab, particularly in the Cholistan Desert, a water-scarce region.

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About Cholistan Desert

• It is also known locally as Rohi, and is located in the southern part of Pakistani Punjab.
• It forms part of the Greater Thar Desert, which extends into Sindh province of Pakistan and the Indian state of Rajasthan.
• The name “Cholistan” comes from the Turkic word “chol”, meaning “sands” and the Persian suffix “istan”, meaning “land”.
• Historically, Cholistan was a centre for caravan trade, leading to the construction of numerous forts during the medieval period.
• The Derawar Fort is the best-preserved example of these medieval structures.
• Cholistan covers an area of 25,800 km² (10,000 sq mi) across the Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, and Rahim Yar Khan districts.
• About 81% of the region is sandy, while 19% comprises alluvial flats and small sandy dunes.
• The Cholistan Desert has an arid and semi-arid tropical desert climate with very low annual humidity.
• Water resources include natural pools called Toba and manmade pools called Kund.

Cholistan Desert FAQs

Q1. Where is the Cholistan Desert located?
Ans. The Cholistan Desert is located in the southern part of Punjab province in Pakistan, near the India-Pakistan border.

Q2. Which major river once supported the Cholistan Desert?
Ans. The now-dried-up Hakra River (believed to be part of the ancient Saraswati-Ghaggar river system) once supported human settlements in the Cholistan region.

Source: IE