How deforestation threatens Thar Desert dwellings
July 25, 2021
HYDERABAD: The makeshift mud and thatch abodes in the Thar Desert, called chaunro, have evolved over generations in response to the extreme dry heat during the day and chilly nights that made life difficult for the pastoral and nomadic communities living on the sand dunes.
There is a scarcity of building materials in the desert region. The terrain is interspersed with thorny trees and leafless grasses. One of these leafless plants, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, locally known as khip, is used by the people to build roofs of their circular mud dwellings.
Leptadenia pyrotechnica is a typical desert plant that is leafless, erect and evergreen.