NEWS: A massive dust storm swept through Rajasthan's Churu district recently

ABOUT

• Pre-monsoon convective dust storms locally termed, Andhi àdriven by intense solar heating during peak summer.
• This extreme heating creates low-pressure centers over the Thar Desert, inducing highly unstable convective updrafts that lift loose, dry desert topsoil into the upper atmosphere.
• Impacted AreasàPrimarily Western and Northern Rajasthan (Churu, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Sri Ganganagar).
• Due to high-velocity winds, the dust plume regularly spills over into neighboring Haryana, Punjab, and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Aravalli range

• Ancient fold mountains formed during the Proterozoic era
• The range trends in a Southwest to Northeast (SW-NE) direction.
• It stretches across 4 states/UTs – Gujarat, Rajasthan Haryana, and Delhi.
• Highest Peak - Guru Shikhar, located on Mount Abu in Rajasthan.
• Rivers – Luni, Sabarmati, and Banas River.
• Compositionà The range is highly rich in metamorphic rocks such as quartzites, marbles, schists, and gneisses.
• The Aravalli Range acting as a structural barrier between the arid Thar Desert and the fertile Indo-Gangetic Plains.

Degradation of the Aravalli Range

• The protective capacity of the Aravallis is actively degrading due to human-induced factors.
• The Aravalli Range is highly fragmented, featuring at least 28 documented natural gaps.
• Massive illegal mining and hill flattening have widened these gaps, creating wind-conduits that allow Thar dust storms to easily breach into Delhi-NCR and Western UP.
• Severe deforestation and unplanned urbanization along the foothills
• The weakening of this barrier accelerates the eastward creep of the Thar Desert, threatening the food security of the Indo-Gangetic plains