Research Projects

Thar Desert, located in the northwestern part of India, is one of the most arid and ecologically fragile regions in the world. Its landscape is dominated by extensive sand dunes, which cover roughly 40-50% of the area. These sand dunes are formed by centuries of wind action, and have a migration rate of 5 to 8 m, annually. The migration of sand dunes in Thar Desert poses a serious threat to the development of geotechnical infrastructures and transportation networks. The predominant sandy and loose soils, compounded by high wind erosion, make it difficult for the stability of the infrastructures. Past studies have highlighted that mitigating the issues associated with the sand dunes in arid regions can be done by diverting the direction of wind flow using windbreakers and fences, binding the surface soils by forming surface crust through chemical treatments, and promoting vegetation growth, such as shrubs and grasses, that can act as natural reinforcement. The use of vegetation covers for sand dune migration adjacent to human settlements, urban areas, and important infrastructures is reported to be one of the best possible solutions. The main challenges for maintenance of vegetation covers in such conditions include limited water availability, lower water retention capacity of soil, soil salinity, and lower availability of plant essential nutrients. To address these issues, it requires innovative, context-specific solutions that integrate the interdisciplinary understanding of soil-water-plant-atmosphere interactions with a deep knowledge of the unique environmental characteristics of the region. The use of superabsorbent hydrogel (SAH), a special type of bio-renewable polymer with a crosslinked three-dimensional (3D) network, could be beneficial for the mitigation of sand dune migration. SAH can absorb and retain large amounts of water and solute molecules (approximately 500-1000 times their own weight). These hydrophilic polymers are usually prepared by polymerization of natural materials and possess excellent eco-compatibility along with high water absorbency. It was reported that the addition of hydrophilic polymers such as xanthan gum, and natural cellulose can increase the crust strength of sand dunes and reduction in soil erosion. However, there are not many studies that focus on the promotion of vegetation growth as a natural soil reinforcement for the stabilization of sand dunes. Moreover, the influence of harsh environmental conditions was not adequately considered in the previous studies. Therefore, the aim of the proposed work is to explore the feasibility of hydrogels for improving the vegetation growth on sand dunes in semiarid and arid regions and its long-term influence on the migration of sand dunes considering the complex soil-water-plant-atmosphere interactions. The study will consider the individual characteristics of soil, hydrogel, plant, and atmospheric conditions, and their influence on the overall stability of sand dunes.