Glimpse of Marwar

The region of Marwar forms a major part of the Thar Desert and is known as the land of extremes. The maximum temperature rises to 50o C in Summers. Average rainfall ranges from 100 mm to 300 mm at different places. Soil is sandy and porous. The fertility is poor. Livestock rearing is the mainstay of the population and people keep herds of cattle, which is now being abandoned due to want of pasture land. Drought completely erodes the rural economic base which very adversely affects the livelihood. The Thar Desert’s ecology is gradually coming under stress and a vicious cycle of low annual rainfall, saline groundwater, extreme temperatures, scanty and erratic rainfall, shifting sand dunes, droughts and famine have set in acute shortage of food, fodder and water, depriving the people of their means of livelihood thereby worsening their economic condition.Many of the villages do not have even a single source of safe drinking water within a 1.6 km radius of their homes. Education and Employment of girls and women is yet another big problem faced by rural Marwar. The literacy rate amongst the women in Western Rajasthan is one of the lowest in the country. The deprivation is attributed to non-existence of proper educational facilities for girls, attitude of parents and gender inequality towards a girl child. In rural areas, due to ignorance, girls do not attend school after Class V. Though the child marriage is illegal, the same continues to be prevalent, thus depriving them any opportunity even to complete their schooling.