Fig. 1 shows a proposed development zone near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India. A regional study proposes a solar farm, a visitor camp and managed grazing to c...
Question 1 Report
Fig. 1 shows a proposed development zone near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India. A regional study proposes a solar farm, a visitor camp and managed grazing to create jobs in this hot desert. The map also shows an ephemeral stream, a village, mobile sand dunes and an area used by the great Indian bustard, a protected bird. The project team must decide whether development should proceed and which safeguards are essential.
(a) State one physical feature shown in Fig. 1 that could create a hazard for the proposed development. [2]
(b) Describe three ways in which a solar farm could benefit people living in the village. [3]
(c) Explain how the visitor camp could damage the desert ecosystem if it is poorly managed. [5]
(d) Assess whether the development should go ahead. Use evidence from Fig. 1 and your knowledge of sustainable management in hot deserts. [10]
Answer Details
(a) One physical hazard is the mobile sand dunes. They may bury solar panels, roads, or buildings and make access difficult. An ephemeral stream is also a valid hazard because intense rainfall may cause flooding that damages infrastructure or endangers visitors. [2]
(b) A solar farm could provide electricity for homes and village services, create construction, maintenance, or security jobs, and allow refrigeration, lighting, or water pumping. Surplus electricity sold could generate income, and electricity may support digital communication or education. Any three. [3]
(c) Poor management of the visitor camp can damage the ecosystem through several pathways: vehicles can crush fragile plants; vegetation loss exposes sand to wind erosion; visitors may disturb breeding bustards; litter or sewage can pollute scarce water and soil; water demand can deplete groundwater; off-road driving compacts soil; tracks fragment habitats; and collecting fuelwood reduces shrub cover. Any five valid impacts. [5]
(d) Development has potential benefits: the solar farm supplies renewable energy and employment, while the visitor camp and managed grazing can diversify incomes. However, Fig. 1 identifies sensitive locations: mobile dunes can threaten structures, the ephemeral stream creates flood risk, and the bustard habitat needs protection. Uncontrolled tourism could disturb birds and damage vegetation, while water use is a major issue in a hot desert.
A strong assessment is that development should proceed only under strict sustainable-management conditions. A no-access buffer should protect the bustard habitat; solar infrastructure and access routes should be located away from the ephemeral stream or raised to reduce flood damage; visitor numbers should be limited and confined to designated paths; water-saving facilities and waste collection should be required; and dune movement should be monitored. Local people should receive jobs and a share of benefits. With these enforceable safeguards, benefits can outweigh costs; without them, habitat loss, water stress, and flood or dune hazards make the proposal unsustainable. [10]
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