On this year International Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, new findings from western Rajasthan show a surprising transformation underway in India’s driest region. The once water-scarce Thar Desert is now seeing more rainfall, fewer dust storms, and expanding farmlands a change reshaping its landscape, agriculture, and environment.
The northwest part of India, especially the 12 districts of western Rajasthan, has always been known for its extreme dryness, shifting sand dunes, and scattered vegetation. It is home to 27 million people and 26 million livestock, making it the most densely populated desert in the world. But things are changing fast.
The desert’s distinctive terrain formed by ancient rivers, sand dunes of all sizes, and dry lake beds was shaped by centuries of wet and dry cycles. Yet now, the region is becoming greener. Rainfall patterns have shifted; dunes are shrinking; croplands and tree cover are spreading. And, most remarkably, floods—once rare are becoming more common.
Rising Rainfall: A New Trend
Long-term weather data confirms this trend. The Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) analysed 64 years of rainfall across 62 desert stations. Most places recorded increasing rainfall, with some showing statistically significant jumps. Notably, 2023 and 2024 saw extreme rainfall events triggered by unusual weather systems like Cyclone Biparjoy. In mid-June 2023 alone, over 112 stations reported heavy rainfalls exceeding 115 mm in a day. Pali district recorded a staggering 530 mm on June 19.
By 2024, the pattern continued. Seasonal rainfall surged, with districts like Jaisalmer seeing a 145 per cent jump above normal levels. Scientists say this surge may help ease the region’s water scarcity but it comes with a new problem: floods.
Floods in the Desert: An Unusual Sight
Flooding is rare in deserts, but not impossible. In western Rajasthan, floods typically happen when 300 mm of rain falls in just a few days. This used to occur once or twice a decade. But in recent years, flood-causing rains have become more frequent six times between 2011 and 2020 alone.
In August and September 2024, Jodhpur witnessed 11 intense rainstorms, delivering over 500 mm of rain. Floodwaters rushed over the landscape, filling natural channels, alluvial plains, and even sand dunes. Satellite images from ICAR-CAZRI captured flooded areas across Pali, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and Barmer evidence that floods are now reshaping this dry region.
Agricultural Expansion: A Greener Thar
More water has brought new life to Rajasthan’s farmlands. Irrigated farming is expanding. Between 2010 and 2020, tube-well irrigation rose by 8 per cent and now covers nearly half of all croplands. Major canal projects like the Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana (IGNP) and Narmada Canal are boosting irrigation. Tank and open well irrigation, meanwhile, has declined.
The net irrigated area in the desert’s five driest districts has more than doubled since 2010. Bikaner alone saw an increase of 280,000 hectares over 100 per cent. Areas once marked as ‘wasteland’ are shrinking as more land is cultivated.
A CAZRI vegetation study shows plant cover rising from 13.5 per cent to 21 per cent in just a decade. Even the sand dunes are stabilising, thanks to large-scale afforestation and the spread of hardy shrubs like Prosopis juliflora. Around 400,000 hectares of dunes are now green with plantations a striking change visible in satellite images.
Farm Ponds: Storing the New Water Wealth
Farmers have adapted quickly to the new water reality. In Jaisalmer alone, small water storage ponds known as ‘diggis’ have multiplied from 400 in 2005 to over 10,000 by 2021. These ponds store canal and rainwater, helping farmers irrigate fields even during dry spells. As a result, irrigated farmland rose from 19,000 hectares in 2010 to 80,000 hectares in 2021. Crop choices have shifted, too farmers now grow more profitable, irrigated crops instead of traditional rainfed varieties.
Challenges Ahead: Managing the Water Boom
While more rain solves water shortages, it brings new worries especially floods and water management. The region needs better plans to capture and store this rain bounty, using traditional systems like khadins or modern storage methods, to serve farms, homes, and industries during dry times.
Improved vegetation and farming have also reduced wind erosion. Once-active sand dunes are turning into stable farmland, and wind-driven soil loss is declining one reason desertification in Rajasthan is slowing. Government data shows that the area under desertification dropped by nearly 387,000 hectares since 2003, a unique success story among India’s arid states.
A Desert in Transition
Rajasthan’s desert is no longer the harsh, barren land of the past. The Thar is changing—becoming greener, wetter, and more productive. But this transformation brings responsibilities: careful water use, flood control, and sustainable farming.
If managed wisely, this changing desert could offer India new opportunities for food security, rural livelihoods, and climate resilience. If not, the risks of floods and overuse may rise. Either way, the world’s most populated desert is writing a new chapter in its long, remarkable story.