Khetolai’s waterless depths perfect for underground tests

Jaisalmer: If an area does not have groundwater, it is considered as barren and of no use. But Khetolai village in Jaisalmer district became famous because it had not even a drop of underground water.
On May 11, 1998, two underground nuclear tests were conducted in this village precisely because it did not have underground water.
Rajasthan has about 33,000 villages, but Khetolai became the chosen site for scientists as it did not have groundwater for thousands of metres and thus reduced any chance of radiation after the tests, said senior groundwater scientist Dr Narayan Das Inkhia.
He said the area selected for Pokhran-2 series had volcanic rocks formed due to the eruption of a volcano lakhs of years ago. “These volcanic rocks with rayolite were formed with minute particles of molten lava. During the process of formation of these rocks, no empty place was left in their particles due to which these rocks neither absorbed water nor allowed water flow,” he said.
Inkhia said these rocks are actually tri-rocks, that is, have a triple layer of rocks, suited to nuclear blasts because after the explosion the radioactive radiation does not pollute the underground water. Inkhia said there are many such places in Pokhran area, namely, Khetolai, Falsoond, Bhaniyana, Dantal, Ujala, Naniyai, That, Nachatala where there are volcanic rocks and water is hardly found.
He said in Khetolai area, there is no sign of water till even below a depth of 2km.
Inkhia said that the first nuclear test by India was conducted in Loharki village of Jaisalmer district on May 18, 1974, and that region, too, has tri-rocks.
“Not having water has proved to be a boon for Khetolai village, which has given it an identity which can never be erased,” he added.
Khetolai village is just 2.5km away from Asia’s biggest field firing range in Pokhran. Even today, the area where the tests were conducted are strictly guarded by the army. No person can enter the test site or even venture near it without permission of the army.
Since the Buddha Poornima 25 years ago, when a series of nuclear tests started to be conducted in Khetolai village, the place has been attracting people from all over the world.