Question

Which is the largest saline lake in the Thar desert?

Answer 1

Hint:
-The largest salt lake originates in the Pushkar valley of the Aravalli range.
-This lake drains into the marshy land of Gujarat's Rann of Kutch.
-There is even a bridge constructed across it. It runs for a length of 495 km.

Complete answer:
Luni is considered to be the largest river in the Thar desert in northwest India. After its origin in the Pushkar valley of the Aravalli range, near Ajmer, it passes through the south-eastern part of the Thar Desert and finally ends in the marshy lands of Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, 495 km away. The river is first known as Sagarmati, then after moving ahead of Govindgarh, it meets its tributary Saraswati, which arises from Pushkar Lake, and from then on is called Luni.

The Luni River basin covers all or part of the Ajmer, Jalore, Barmer, Jodhpur, Pali, Nagaur, and Sirohi districts of Rajasthan as well as both Banaskantha and Patan districts of northern Gujarat. Its main tributaries are the Sukri River, the Mithril River, the Jawai River, the Bandi River, the Khari River, the Guhiya River, and the Sagi River from the left, and the Jojari River from the right.

Despite its high salinity, it is a major river in the area and serves as the primary source of irrigation. The Luni is not salty until it enters Balotra, where the high salt content of the soil influences the river.
It is said that the Luni may have been the southern part of the ancient Ghaggar-Hakra River.

Note: Sardar Samand and Jawai dam are the two major irrigation projects on the River Luni.
The dams that are built in the Luni River are the Dantiwada Dam, the Sipu Dam, and the Jaswant Sagar Dam, built-in 1892 by Maharaja Jaswant Singh. It's one of the biggest artificial lakes in India.
The Luni River faces the problem of flash floods i.e. the river flows into a shallow bed and the riverbank surface is easily flattened by rainwater. The worst flood occurred in 2006 when the desert region received heavy rain. Water levels have risen to 15–25 feet in the surrounding area.