Desert villagers in Rajasthan turn to traditional ingenuity to beat intense heat and water shortages

Former sarpanch Siddharth Singh Bhati in Indira Gandhi Canal near Pugal. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Families living in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert face ongoing heat waves and adapt to high temperatures, water scarcity and difficult geographical conditions. Villagers in the region are used to facing scorching heat every year and the mercury crossed 46 degrees Celsius in Bikaner district this time.

The main source of water for rural households and agricultural fields in the region is the Indira Gandhi Canal, which is considered the lifeline of the Thar Desert as it brings Himalayan waters. Pugal marks the geographical bridge where the main feeder of the main canal ends and its journey downstream continues into Jaisalmer district with a 256 km stretch towards Mohangarh.

The current heat wave, partly attributed to climate change, has put enormous pressure on the local agrarian economy and the livelihoods of farmers, peasants and agricultural workers. Although the canal feeds an extensive local distribution network, water shortages persist in summer. “Severe heat conditions have disrupted our family’s regular schedule. We spend half of our day preparing water for our cattle. We had planned to sow kharif crop seeds, but it will not be possible until we have enough water in our farm pond,” 18-year-old Maroof Khan, a resident of Ramai village, 22 km from Pugal, told The Hindugal.

Maroof Khan’s family in front of their thatched hut in Ramai village near Pugal. | Photo credit: Special arrangement.

Closing the channel

Water from the canal supports water-intensive crops such as wheat, mustard and cotton, supporting the local economy and agriculture-based livelihoods. A local pumping station and an extensive network of smaller distribution lines are helping to alleviate the drought in the desert Pugal tehsil, but the canal’s 45-day closure for scheduled maintenance has caused hardship for villagers in isolated rural settlements. Deepanker Sharma, Executive Engineer, Indira Gandhi Canal Project, Bikaner, said the closure of the canal was necessitated due to its dilapidated condition leading to seepage of water. Shutdown is a normal operational maintenance procedure.

“The work has been done efficiently this year and water flow has been restored from Harike Barrage in Punjab. The average flow is currently 10,000 cusecs against the maximum capacity of the canal of 18,000 cusecs,” said Mr. Sharma. The water was released first to address drinking water shortages in the Pugal, Dantaur and Aduri distributaries, with plans to irrigate the kharif crops of groundnut, moonshine, sugarcane and cotton to follow. The closure of the canal affected livestock, industrial uses and army cantonments along the India-Pakistan border. Although light rains and dust storms caused by western disturbances brought temporary relief to people in the region last week, the intense summer heat continues to affect normal life and plague the desert region.

Damage control steps

Desert dwellers have devised several methods to cope with the high temperature and minimize its impact on food, livestock and daily routine. “The thatched roof of our house traps air to provide natural insulation. When we sprinkle it with water, the indoor temperature will decrease during hot days,” Mr Khan said.

Some houses in the village have walls built from a combination of cow dung and clay, which limits heat intake. In addition, drip irrigation in the field saves water and ensures soil moisture for a longer period of time.

Agricultural laborer Kailash Meghwal, 24, of Ramai village, who works on 50 bigha of land, said he grew the drought-resistant jowar (sorghum) crop on a small piece of land as fodder for a cow and half a dozen goats kept by his family. The limited amount of water available after the restoration of the canal has helped in irrigating crops and meeting household needs.

Former Pugal sarpanch Siddharth Singh Bhati, who served as the village panchayat administrator since the end of his tenure in 2025, said that water from the canal seeped into the ground and led to a rise in the water table in areas around the panchayat headquarters, providing an additional source of irrigation. “Several farmers dug wells in their fields and found good quality water at a reasonable depth,” said Mr. Bhati.

Rise at work

The heat wave also led to an increase in demand for labor under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Pugal Block Development Officer Gopa Ram said the work assigned to the villagers helped boost the local economy and reduced the impact of agrarian distress. “The Pugal Panchayat Samiti covers as many as 97 villages. Apart from the routine work, we have taken up the task of covering the open irrigation ditches and water channels connected to the Indira Gandhi Canal with concrete structures,” said Mr. Ram.

Published – 05 Jun 2026 23:01 IST