River Luni originates from the Aravalli ranges in Pushkar Valley near Ajmer in Rajasthan and after traversing a course of 511 km in Rajasthan state, it finally dissipates in the marshy land of Rann of Kutch, Gujarat state. This river forms the bulk of the Indian arid zone and is known as the ‘Maruganga of Thar Desert’ in western Rajasthan. The word “Luni” means salt, derived from Lavanaravi or Lavanavati, which means salt river in Sanskrit. The river water of Luni is saline, especially in the mid and downstream sections. As this is an ephemeral river, therefore flows only for 3-4 months during the monsoon season. The flow of river entirely depends upon the rainfall in the origin and catchment area. The total basin catchment area of Luni is 70202.58 km2 (India-WRIS) and it is bounded by the Ganga River Basin in the east, Shekhawati River Basin in the north, the Sabarmati and West Banas River in the south and the Thar Desert on the west side of the basin. The left bank drainage of the river Luni is more extensive than on the right bank. The entire basin lies inside Rajasthan and extends over parts of Ajmer, Barmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Pali, Rajsamand, Sirohi and Udaipur districts. The systematic investigations of aquatic fauna and resources of the Indian arid region in a chronological way show that the ichthyofaunal diversity of Thar Desert region is an admixture of the Himalayas (western), the Aravalli hills, Peninsular India and the components of Middle East. The Luni River provides multiple ecosystem services, which are considered a key to attaining sustainable development in the region. It supports the livelihood of dependent local community by acting as a water source for consumption, agriculture and sustaining the biodiversity in the Thar Desert region of India.
Prof. Ajey Kumar Pathak ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow.
Prof. Ganesan Kantharajan ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow.
Prof. Ravi Kumar ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow.
Prof. Rajesh Dayal ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow.
Prof. Ved Prakash Saini College of Fisheries, Kishanganj Bihar Animal Sciences University, Patna.
1. Introduction........................................................................................................... 1
2. Luni Basin: Geo-morphology ............................................................................. 5
2.1 Geographical Setting .................................................................................. 5
2.2 Topography.................................................................................................. 8
2.3 Soil Characteristics ................................................................................... 10
2.4 River Network ........................................................................................... 12
3. Luni Basin: Climate ............................................................................................ 15
3.1 Temperature............................................................................................... 15
3.2 Rainfall and Runoff .................................................................................. 15
4. Luni Basin: Stream Flow Characteristics ....................................................... 17
5. Land Use Land Cover of Luni Basin .............................................................. 19
5.1 LULC Change Detection in Upper Luni Basin ................................... 19
5.2 Land Degradation Status in Upper Luni Basin................................... 22
5.3 LULC Map of Sukri Watershed: Case Study ....................................... 28
6. Physical Habitat Characteristics ...................................................................... 31
7. Physico-chemical Water Quality Status ......................................................... 35
7.1 Salinity ........................................................................................................ 36
7.2 pH ................................................................................................................ 38
7.3 Dissolved Oxygen ..................................................................................... 38
7.4 Conductivity and Total Dissolved Solids .............................................. 39
7.5 Oxidation Reduction Potential ............................................................... 39
8. Ichthyofaunal Diversity .................................................................................... 43
8.1 Species Diversity, Distribution and Conservation Status .................. 43
8.2 Fish species information .......................................................................... 45
8.3 Invasion of non-native fishes .................................................................. 66
9. Ecosystem Services: Luni River........................................................................ 67
9.1 Provisional Services .................................................................................. 68
9.2 Regulating Services ................................................................................... 71
9.3 Supporting Services .................................................................................. 71
9.4 Cultural Services ....................................................................................... 74
10. Conservation and Management ...................................................................... 77
Glossary ................................................................................................................ 81
References ............................................................................................................ 83
