The recent spell of monsoon rain transformed desert areas into a lush green spectacle. While the heavy downpour posed a threat to life and property in other parts of the country it helped in the natural metamorphosis of the Tharparkar district, which is an otherwise deprived region of the country. With variable climatic conditions comprising long spells of dust storms and inadequate rainfall Tharparkar, Umerkot, Khairpur and Sanghar districts are seldom endowed with lush plant foliage and pleasant temperatures. However the arrival of monsoon rain added to the area’s natural beauty and brought prosperity to people. “Bhagwan has blessed Thar’s people through rain,” Achar Arrissar, a villager of Nagarparkar, told Pakistan Today.
According to the Met Office at Chore district Umerkot, 300 to 400 millimetres of rain was recorded in Thar and other parts of lower Sindh.
Thar residents Kiran Kumar, Vasdev and Noor Nabi Samejo said that the rains had lightened their moods and many people who had left the district owing to unavailability of water returned to their villages and started storing rain water in traditional tanks and ponds. Apart from a change in climate conditions patches of greenery have appeared providing a much welcomed change of scenery.
The Thar desert has an area of 22,000 square kilometres and is considered one of the biggest deserts in the world. This is the second consecutive year in which the district has benefited from rain. The changed environment and scenery has attracted tourists from various parts of the country. The Karunjhar Hill has become a popular tourist spot. It has a span of 19 kilometres and is 300 metres high. Smaller hills rise in the east which are covered with sparse thickets and pastures and are also home to two perennial springs, Achleshwar and Sardharo. The rains have added to the beauty of the area with streams flowing in Bhetiani and Gordharo.
The desert’s traditional plants such as phog, akk, babur, talhi, neem, jar and ghughar are now sprouting after the rainfall. Wildlife such as Chikaras, desert foxes, jackals, hyenas and mongoose is also thriving. Many birds including peacocks, partridges, owls, doves, and hawks have also been spotted in Nargarparkar and Chachro talukas.
All is, however, not as green as it seems. Koshal Sharma, resident of Mithi town, Tharparkar, said that there was a routine price hike by local traders for Thar’s crops especially in the rainy season. The price for bajra and jowar increased by 100 percent. “Local wholesalers and shopkeepers were getting their favourite rate from the Thari people and no authority is ready to check the rates of seeds despite the complaints by locals,” he added. The recent rainfall was delayed and erratic and as a result people could not properly benefit from it for crop cultivation.
