Sign boards, banners and electric wires may have horribly disfigured Jaisalmer, but the tourist boom has created a far more serious, potentially irreversible threat to the town's survival. Erected on a base of soft clay, sand and sandstone, the foundations of Rajasthan's most picturesque citadel are rapidly eroding because of huge increases in water consumption. At the height of the tourist season, around 120 litres per head are pumped into the area - twelve times the quantity used fifteen years ago. Most of the resulting waste pours through an inadequate drainage system of open gulleys, seeping through cracks into the hillside and leaving chronic subsidence in its wake. The retaining wall below the citadel has burst in several places, many of the bastions are on the verge of collapse and around 250 buildings inside the fort have partially disintegrated, among them the sixteenth-century Maharani's Palace. In recognition of the urgency of the town's repair, Jaisalmer is listed among the World Monument Fund's 100 Most Endangered Sites.

 

An international campaign, Jaisalmer in Jeopardy , has been set up to raise funds for the restoration of the Maharani's Palace, where a new Heritage Centre will house an exhibition on desert culture, focusing on women and traditional architecture. Dozens of houses are being stabilized, facades repaired, and seams of grey cement replaced with traditional material. The campaign relies substantially on donations. If you'd like to help, contact Sue Carpenter at 31 Alpha House, Santley Street, London SW4 7QN (tel /fax +44 2077374948, www.jaisalmer-in-jeopardy.org ). Bear in mind, too, that you can make a small difference by not staying in the fort or, if you do, by conserving water as much as possible while you're there.