In Frames | Broiling Churu

By noon, the broiling heat forces people in this Thar gateway indoors

To experience the broiling ferocity of summer, there is no place better than Churu, the gateway to the Thar desert in Rajasthan. The average temperature here in the season is around 45 degrees Celsius peaking to about 50 degrees. In the typical desert climate, the winter temperature drops to zero.

Churu is home to 900 villages, with 248 panchayats, and hosts a population of close to two million. Animal husbandry and embroidery by women are among the primary occupations. In summer, life begins early in the morning. By noon, most places look desolate and deserted, with life in the villages coming to a standstill, except for some cattle left around. The rhythm, however, picks up in the evening as seen in villages such as Beenasar, Gajsar, Somasi, Jhariya, Juhapura, Thalori, Asloo and Ghantel.

There is an acute shortage of potable water. Water supply is managed by the government under the Aapni Yojna, a German-aided rural drinking water project, which has already started providing relief to many villages in the State.

The Tal Chhapar Sanctuary in the Shekhawati region, which has many waterbodies mostly fed by pipelines and tankers, has many herds of blackbuck across the dry grasslands. Villagers here rely on Kund, a tank to collect rainwater for the year. Groundwater though is not potable with its high saline content.

A visit to Gopalpura reveals many salt pans which produce over 50 tonnes of salt a year. The camel population seems to be on the decline as younger people give up rearing and opt for other work. There is hardly any agriculture activity in Churu. The district administration has made efforts over the years for afforestation and introduced many schemes to plant saplings.