Luni- The Indian river which does not meet any sea

There is an intriguing river in India which does not meet any larger water body at the end of its course. This fascinating river is Luni.

The Luni River originates at an elevation of 772 meters from the Naga hills of Aravalli Range in Ajmer district of Rajasthan. The Luni River begins near Ajmer in the Pushkar valley of the western Aravalli Range at an elevation of about 550m. At this point, the river is also known as the Sagarmati. The river then flows in the southwest direction through the hills and plains of the Marwar region in Rajasthan. The river flows south-west and enters the Thar Desert before dissipating into the Rann of Kutch traversing a total of 495 km. In spite of the high salinity, it is a major river in the region and serves as a primary source of irrigation. The Luni is not saline until it reaches Balotra, where high salt content in the soil impacts the river.

The mind-boggling fact is that water from the river drains widely on a shallow bed, eventually leading to its termination, without flowing into any other water body.

As Luni flows through Rajasthan, the hot temperature and lack of rainfall become the reason for erratic supply of voluminous water. Luni enjoys freshwater for the first hundred kilometres of its channel, but as it reaches Balotra in Barmer, the water turns saline due to the salt rich surface it flows on, and hence gets its name Luni which means saline in Rajasthan. Despite being saline, river Luni is a major source of irrigation in the parched regions of Rajasthan.