Jaipur: The Thar Desert of Jaisalmer has a man-made lake that will supply the water to the districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer round the year.
28 km long, 33 feet deep
Made by the water supplies department of the state, the lake spans around 28 kilometers in length with a depth of 33 feet and a storage capacity of 1.41 billion liters of water.
To prevent the desert soil from absorbing the stored water, a special 300-micron plastic sheet has been laid across the lakebed. This lining acts as a barrier, preventing the water from seeping into the ground.
Canal-fed filtration plant
The lake will serve as a reservoir for rainwater channeled through the Indira Gandhi Canal. Subsequently, the water will be processed through a filtration plant and supplied to households across Barmer and Jaisalmer. This initiative is expected to provide a continuous water supply round the year to a population of 5 million people.
The executive engineer of the water supplies department, Rampal Mundhiyara, said that the Indira Gandhi Canal undergoes a scheduled shutdown—known as *Naharbandi*—once a year for a period of one month for maintenance. Consequently, Barmer and Jaisalmer face acute water shortages during this time.
Need for large-scale storage
“Until now, there was no large-scale storage facility available to impound water for use during these maintenance periods. The necessity for this project arose specifically to address this persistent water supply issue and the lack of adequate storage infrastructure,” said the officer.
The lake has been integrated with the Indira Gandhi Canal, which channels water into the region of Punjab. An escape channel already existed to connect the site with the Indira Gandhi Canal. Excess water from the Canal would be discharged downstream through this channel.
Asia's largest artificial lake
The department claimed that, given its location in a desert region, this is likely the largest artificial lake in Asia; such a vast expanse of open land is simply not available anywhere else.
The facility, which cost around Rs 242 crores, is scheduled to be inaugurated in July 2026, following the completion of the water-filling process.
