Balancing Groundwater Irrigation and Geodiversity Conservation in the Thar Desert: A Geospatial Analysis of Jodhpur Region

The Jodhpur district, located in the eastern fringe of the Thar Desert, presents a paradox of agricultural dependency on scarce groundwater and the presence of unique geodiversity that requires protection. In an environment with an average annual rainfall of less than 350 mm, farmers rely almost entirely on groundwater for irrigation. However, the expansion of irrigated agriculture is taking place alongside increasing recognition of the region’s geoheritage, such as the Jodhpur Group sandstones, dune systems, and residual hills. This paper develops an integrated geospatial framework that assesses groundwater irrigation suitability and overlays it with a geodiversity index to highlight zones of potential conflict. Using datasets from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), soil maps from NBSS&LUP, and remote sensing products including Landsat-9, Sentinel-2, and SRTM DEM, irrigation suitability was classified based on hydrochemical and physical criteria (EC, SAR, Na%, soil pH, depth to water). Parallel to this, lithological and geomorphological parameters were used to derive geodiversity indices. Results indicate that approximately 23% of the study area falls under “highly suitable” irrigation zones, while around 19% of the district is classified as high in geodiversity value. Roughly 11% of land represents overlapping areas where both irrigation potential and geodiversity significance coincide, thereby requiring sensitive planning. The findings underline the urgent need to balance agricultural expansion with landscape conservation in the arid environment of Jodhpur.