How Renewable Energy is Squeezing Achla's Camels, Women and Sacred Forest

This article was originally published in 101 Reporter under Creative Common license. Read the original article.

By Somrita Ghosh

Jaisalmer, Rajasthan: On a hot summer evening, Jora Ram Devasi (74) walks across the barren Oran near his home in Achla village in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district, where his camels are grazing. Orans are community-conserved sacred forests that have sustained desert villages for centuries, providing pasture, food, water and shelter for wildlife.

As he reaches the grazing ground, he looks up at the tall wind turbines spread across miles of the landscape.

"There was a time when the land had no borders, no fencing… just long stretches of golden land with bushes, shrubs and herb trees. Now it's all factories, and our land, our home, is just a drop in the ocean," he said, arranging fodder for the 15-20 camel calves around him.

"One could once walk to Bikaner, Jodhpur or Barmer through the Orans. We walked three or four days with camels for trading, crossing one region after another. The land was open for all, with no restrictions."

Achla falls within the Degrai Oran, about 625 years old and one of roughly 25,000 Orans across Rajasthan. It is also among the largest, spanning nearly 60,000 bighas (more than 37,000 acres), and is worshipped by around 24 villages as the seat of the deity Deg Rai Mata.

Environmentalist and Jaisalmer-based farmer Parth Jagani, who works on Oran conservation, traces its origins to the reign of King Rawal Jaisal, founder of Jaisalmer, who granted the land to Bhati Rajputs, Bishnois and Rabari communities in recognition of their role in defending the kingdom.

Village custom has since prohibited tree-felling, hunting and pollution of water bodies within the Oran. During a visit to one such lake, 101Reporters found it clean, with no plastic or garbage in sight. For generations, villagers have stored rainwater, maintained the landscape and grazed their livestock here, while species such as the endangered Great Indian Bustard, nilgai, deer and peacocks have also made the Oran their home.

See Also: Rajasthan Government comes up with Smart Village initiative, Inspired by Centre’s Smart Cities Mission

Shrinking grazing land

Achla has around 120 families. About 30-35 have members serving in the Indian Air Force, while the rest depend primarily on livestock.

Jora Ram belongs to the Rabari community, an indigenous semi-nomadic pastoral group spread across Rajasthan and Gujarat whose lives have long revolved around camel herding. A decade ago he owned nearly 300 camels. Today he has around 50.

"Because of the growing number of solar and wind projects inside the Oran, the grazing land available for animals and villagers has shrunk. There's almost no grass or pasture left because whatever remains has been overgrazed. The camels now survive on raw berries, which causes fatal skin diseases and eventually kills them. Fodder is too costly for us to afford, so they don't survive for long."

Fencing, project boundaries and overhead power lines have compounded the problem. Camels, traditionally left to graze on their own, are increasingly dying from electrocution or suffering deep injuries after getting caught in fencing.

Teejo Devi, 65, who owns two camels and a few goats, says her animals have always returned home on their own by evening.

"It's not possible for me to accompany them at this age, especially during summer. Every evening my heart skips a beat if they don't return on time."

She has already lost one camel and a head of cattle.

Women bear the burden

The impact extends well beyond livestock. Women in Rabari households are responsible for cooking and other domestic work, and camel milk ghee has traditionally been their primary cooking fat. With fewer camels, many households now buy cow's milk, increasing their monthly expenses.

"We also have to walk miles now to collect ker, sangri, neem and other wild berries for daily consumption. During the peak summer months, it's almost impossible to walk for hours just to gather vegetables. Many of the trees are now inside land taken over by renewable energy companies."

"The temperature has risen too. Jaisalmer has always been hot, but over the past five or six years it has become even hotter. Water bodies are drying up faster and water tankers are very costly. Our daily struggle for even basic needs is increasing," said Devki (21), who stopped studying after high school.

Beyond subsistence, the Oran has also been central to women's autonomy. Collecting ker and sangri has traditionally offered a rare opportunity to step outside the home, spend time together and share concerns away from domestic responsibilities.

That connection to the land prompted women from Achla to write to the Prime Minister last year, highlighting the threat to the Oran.

According to Teju Devasi, Union Culture and Tourism Minister and Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat later sent his aides to meet villagers at Tanot Mata Temple, assuring them that the matter would be addressed. Since then, some solar transmission lines have been removed while others have been shifted underground to reduce risks to livestock, though villagers say nothing has been done to prevent further diversion of Oran land.

See Also: The Rajasthan Village Where a Goddess Guards the Trees

Uncertain future

Employment has done little to compensate for what villagers say they have lost.

According to Teeju Devasi (26), a private school teacher, older renewable energy projects had promised local employment, but newer projects make no such commitments.

Around 12–15 families now have men employed in low-paying jobs at nearby plants.

"Most of the employees are from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or Jharkhand. People in our community aren't highly educated, so getting good jobs is difficult. Those who do work earn only Rs 16,000 to Rs 18,000 a month. We also don't prefer moving out of the village for education. Ultimately, we remain dependent on livestock."

Projects operating around the Degrai Oran include those of NTPC, ReNew Power, NALCO, Sembcorp, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, KC Construction and Engineering, Adani Hybrid 2A Camp Ltd and Eden.

No legal recognition

Much of the Degrai Oran remains unregistered. With no private ownership recorded, most of the land falls under the forest department by default, while only small portions used for cultivation appear in revenue records.

"The only thing in our hands is to ask the government not to reduce the Oran further. This is our home and our ancestors' legacy. We worship local deities, the khejri tree is a goddess to us, and we eat the kair and sangri it produces. This isn't agricultural land, so our food comes mainly from bushes and shrubs."

"Only 4,000 hectares are officially recorded as Oran in revenue records. The remaining 6,000-8,000 hectares are still classified as wasteland," said Teju Devasi.

In December 2024, the Supreme Court recognised Orans as forests under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and directed the Rajasthan government to map them comprehensively because many had never been formally recorded as forests.

Meanwhile, the decline in camel herds extends well beyond Achla.

Earlier this year, the Rajasthan High Court noted that the state's camel population has more than halved since the camel protection law was enacted. Official figures presented before the court showed camel numbers dropping from around 7.5 lakh in 2004 to 3.26 lakh in 2015, before falling further to 2.13 lakh within four years and to nearly 1.5 lakh by 2021.

"There has been a decline in both the number of camel herders and the camel population, and local herders no longer travel outside the region," Jagani said.

"The government gives financial assistance when a camel calf is born, but for rearing an animal like a camel, this amount is a drop in the ocean. With corporate companies moving in, pasture has become scarce. Even the Degrai Oran no longer has enough forage for grazing, and there is no government arrangement for camel fodder."

He added that memorandums seeking official registration of Orans have been submitted from the district administration up to the Chief Minister.

Fight for Oran

"A decade ago, when the state government began allotting Oran land to renewable energy companies for windmills, we protested and stopped them. But the protest lost momentum and the companies eventually moved in," said Jora Ram.

A few years ago he approached Jagani and other conservationists, eventually leading to a larger movement this year.

Around 200 residents from western Rajasthan undertook a 725-km march from Tanot Mata Temple to Jaipur, demanding that no more Oran land be diverted for renewable energy projects. The marchers say state officials did not meet them and their demands remain unresolved.

Jagani has since begun restoring grasslands on nearby barren land to create fresh pasture for camels.

Mureed Khan, Achla's sarpanch, disputes claims of irregular allotment of Oran land, saying existing khasra records have been respected. He does, however, acknowledge the decline in camel numbers.

"People are no longer interested in buying camels. They've become a liability rather than an asset. Maintenance costs are high and locals can't afford them. It's true that solar installations and power lines are killing camels. If an animal is injured, owners often don't spend money treating it, and it dies."

RN Mehrotra, former head of the Rajasthan Forest Department, says Orans are among the Thar Desert's most valuable community-conserved ecosystems.

"Unless a project is for defence or of extreme importance, it shouldn't encroach upon Orans. These are the rarest form of forest—small islands in the desert—and the basic life-support system for these villages. If the forest disappears, the village disappears with it. No village economy in the desert survives without livestock, and livestock survives on the forest."

"The government has generally not disturbed Orans, but private agencies are increasingly finding ways to move in."

The Rajasthan revenue department was sent an official query on the allotment of Oran land. It had not responded at the time of publication. Its response will be incorporated if and when it is received.

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