This area is relegated to western limits of the
desert along the International Border of India
with Pakistan. The area covers parts of Jaisalmer
tehsil, Pokaran tehsil and Kolayat tehsil of
Bikaner district. It encompasses a total area of
16,369 sq. km. Its largest extent is in Jaisalmer
tehsil, spanning over 11,824 sq. km, which
covers 72.234 percent of the area. In Pokaran, it
extends over 2,511 sq. km with 15.340 percent
area. In Kolayat, it spreads over 2,034 sq. km
with 12.426 percent of the total hyper-arid area.
The entire hyper-arid zone includes 175 villages.
Out of which, 102 villages lie in Jaisalmer tehsil,
43 villages in Pokaran tehsil and 20 villages in
parts of Kolayat tehsil. The hyper-arid areas
affect a considerable population which lives
under extremely precarious environment.
Acknowledgements The author acknowledges the
UGC–CSIR for the joint research fellowship.
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S. Salahuddin