Salt Flats of Sambhar Salt Lake

Cattle graze next to the salt flats of the Sambhar Salt Lake, Rajasthan. Save a scanty two month monsoon (seen here in the green verge) the area is arid, and income dependent on livestock and salt harvesting. The salt lake has also had a detrimental effect on the livelihoods of locals, however: groundwater supplies of around 200 nearby villages are highly contaminated with salt.

Unique identifier: GP026MR

Type: Image

Shoot date: 10/08/2010

Locations: Asia, India, Rajasthan, Tilonia

Credit line: © Prashanth Vishwanathan / Greenpeace

Ranking: ★★★★ (E)

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Solar-powered Water Desalination in Rajasthan

The Sambhar Salt Lake is India's largest lake, situated in east-central Rajasthan. The population that lives nearby are facing increasing water shortage not just due to changing rain patterns and the rapid desertification of the state, but also as the salt lake has salinated the groundwater supply for many kilometres around. With no alternative in the dry months, many are forced to drink the heavily-salted water. Yet in Kotri village, Ajmer district, residents can now draw clean drinking water from a reverse osmosis plant powered by solar photovoltaic panels. The technician who cares for the system is a local villager who received little formal education yet learned to manage the plant in just six days. Around one thousand people draw safe water from the plant, which produces 500-600 litres of fresh water per hour.

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