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farmers. Most of these lands are private holdings and farmers 
take rainfed crops during good rainfall years. 
B-2 Stabilized Sand Dunes in more than 250 mm Annual 
Rainfall Zone: 
B2-V Semi- stabilized to stabilized high sand dunes and 
major obstacle dunes: Such types of sand dunes (above 40 
meters height) in more than 250 mm annual rainfall zone are 
mainly private holdings and used for rainfed agriculture up to 
their middle flanks. Government holdings are either permanent 
' pastures or classified under culturable waste. Windward side of 
such dunes excepting the crest, is put under cultivation during 
the favorable rainfall years but the productivity is very poor. 
These are marginal lands with intensity of cultivation below 30 
%. 
B2-E Semi-stabilized to stabilized moderately high dunes 
and minor obstacle dunes: Moderately high sand dunes range 
from 15 to 40 meters height. Both stabilized and semi-stabilized 
dunes as well as minor obstacle dunes located in more than 250 
mm annual rainfall zone are included in this category. These 
dunes are primarily used for rainfed arable farming and hence 
these lands are under heavy biotic pressure. Frequent 
cultivation of these dunes aggravates wind erosion hazard and 
loss of productivity and fertility. 
B2-D  Semi-stabilized to stabilized low dunes, highly 
hummocky and shrub coppice dunes: In between highly duny 
complex lie low sand dunes (6 to 15 meters height), highly 
hummocky terrain and shrub-coppice or fence line dunes. 
Fence line dunes and highly hummocky topography is created 
by deposition of sands from the adjoining high active sand 
dunes. The deposition of fine and loose sands has declined the 
productivity and ultimately the use capability of land. 
B3 Interdune Area: 
Inter-dune area is a dominant landform of the desertic terrain. 
These areas are found in between the moderately high-to-high 
sand dunes or between sand dunes and sandy plain. Sandy 
undulating older alluvial plain and sandy undulating buried 
pediment are other landforms associated with this category. The 
soils of interdunal areas are loamy fine sand and slightly 
calcareous. Inter-dune areas are further classified into vital, 
essential and desirable categories. 
B3-V Closely spaced Inter-dune Area: Closely spaced inter- 
dune areas occur mainly in the highly infested duny complex 
region with chains of sand dunes. These areas are characterized 
by undulating topography created by hummocks and low sand 
dunes. Such lands occur dominantly in eastern part of Barmer; 
western part of Jodhpur, Churu (Anon., 1988) Sikar (Singh et 
al, 1996), Jhunjhunun and southern part of Ganganagar and 
Hanumangarh (Sen and Gupta, 1980) districts. 
B3-E Widely spaced Inter-dune Area: 
These inter-dune areas occur in the region where sand dunes are 
found in isolated form or in a small group. As such there occurs 
a wide gap between one dune and another dune. Such a terrain 
can be observed in lesser dune infested region distributed in 
western part of Jalor, eastern part of Churu, Hanumangarh, 
western part of Sikar and Jhunjhunun and northern part of 
Jodhpur districts. The fringes of widely spaced inter-dune are 
subject to slight to moderate wind erosion / deposition hazard. 
B3-D Sandy Undulating Plain: 
Undulating topography is created by deposition of sands from 
adjoining dunes in form of hummocks and fence line dunes. 
Most of such lands are under agriculture with intensity of 
cultivation 30 to 60 per cent. Such topography can be observed 
almost in entire sandy soil regions in western Rajasthan. 
3.2.3 C SANDY RAINFED AREA IN CANAL COMMAND 
ZONE: 
The rainfed sandy areas with hummocks and low sand dunes 
within the Command area of Gang Canal, Bhakhra Canal and 
Indira Gandhi Canal system, have been brought under this 
category since these are on the threshold of new economic 
order and subject to second generation issues. Leveling of sand 
dunes, their regular cultivation and keeping surface clear from 
all sorts of vegetation have aggravated wind erosion/ 
deposition process. Formation of fresh barchan dunes on the 
good crop fields and piling of sands on roads became a menace 
during summer months. Such lands are widely distributed in 
northern part of Hanumangarh (Balak Ram, 1999) and 
Ganganagar districts and in small patches (within IGNP 
command area) in north western part of Bikaner and north 
eastern part of Jaisalmer districts. 
3.3 STABILIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF SAND 
DUNES : 
Stabilization and management of sand dunes can be done 
through the technology developed by CAZRI. The first 
requirement to stabilize shifting or active sand dunes is 
protection from biotic interference and thereafter micro wind 
breaks should be erected in chess board pattern using available 
under shrubs and shrubs. Transplantation/ Re-vegetation with 
drought hardy seedlings, disease resistant and fast growing 
trees and shrub species recommended by CAZRI should be 
undertaken during monsoon period. 
Over the active parts of stabilized sand dunes life chess board 
system may be made and thereafter ground flora can be 
enriched by growing the adopted grasses and suitable tree and 
shrub species. Local farmers should be trained through 
demonstrations to cover active part of sand dunes and check 
further sand movement. 
4. CONCLUSIONS 
IRS LISS-III data in conjunction with ground truth proved very 
much useful to identify, delineate and map out desertic sandy 
areas in arid Rajasthan for development. Semi-stabilized to 
stabilized sand dunes occurring between 100 to 250 mm rainfall 
and active sand dunes in 250 to 500 m m rainfall zone, are more 
potentials for developmental activities involving the 
government intervention. No development is feasible or 
needed for sandy wastelands located in hyper arid region. 
Sandy areas involving the second generation issues are 
identified in IGNP command areas. 
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 
The author is highly grateful to Dr. Pratap Narain, Director and 
Dr. M.A.Khan, Head Division of Natural Resources and 
Environment, Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur for 
providing all the facilities during the course of this study. 
767