Sun and Sand

Sun and Sand

Your editorial 'Sun and Sand' is appropriate and timely (TOI Jan 31) Water is crucial to life and if a third of the planet faces water crisis by 2025, it can spell doom. With 70 per cent of water being used for cultivation, it can be disastrous in the wake of serious food shortage across the globe, particularly in underdeveloped countries. The ambitious plan called Sahara Forest Project can tilt the scales by re-vegetation of desertified zones. The plan has a novel combination of technologies like seawater greenhouse and concentrated solar power to achieve highly efficient synergies. It is a brilliant idea to divert sea water into low lying desert areas to cool and humidify the air to ventilate the greenhouse and sunlight to distil fresh water from the sea water. It is amazing to know that if less than 1 per cent of the continental deserts could be covered with concentrated solar power plants, it could produce as much electricity as the whole world uses now. India can benefit much if a Thar Forest Project in Rajasthan is commissioned and revitalise the country's economy by enabling year-round cultivation of high value crops. India should not miss this opportunity but assert its political will for this novel plan.


A.R.K.Pillai