Aravalli hills face renewed mining threat after a revised legal definition triggers protests
The general image of Rajasthan is of sand dunes, desert forts, and arid land. Green forests, rocky mountain ranges, and flowing streams do not feature in this landscape. However, such environments do exist, in quiet and vital ways, in the Aravali range, “which has existed for five thousand years, and is among the oldest mountain ranges in the world.”
However, today, these hills are at the epicenter of widespread protests in the state of Rajasthan. Citizens, activists, and conservation organizations are up in arms over a recent legal action, which has the potential of stripping a large part of the Aravalli range of any protection and thus becoming the death blow to the ecological safeguard safeguarding northern India.
As per the new definition, it is clear that only those landforms, rising above local relief with a height of 100m or above along with their slopes and spurs, will be regarded as part of Aravallis for the restricted mining and construction activities. The seemingly technical point has significant ramifications.
what a 100-metre hill actually looks like
To give the reader a better idea, it’s helpful to think about height. A height of 100 meters translates into the fact that the hill will be taller than the height of the Qutab Minar, which stands at an average height of 72.5 meters, and it will also be taller than the height of the Taj Mahal, which stands at an average
Most rocky ranges and scrubbied hills that are ecologically a part of the Aravalli range are below this critical value. These may well lose all safeguarding provision under the new definition.
How most of Aravali hills may lose protection
A report by the Forest Survey of India, accessed by the Indian Express, bears out the magnitude of the issue. Only 1,048 out of 12,081 Aravali hills that stand 20 meters or taller in 15 districts of the state are over 100 meters in 15 districts of Rajasthan. Only 8.7% of the hills are over 100 meters.
This means that the area potentially open to the construction industry and mining is the more than 90% area that is outside the new legal boundary. Experts point out that it is significant that the 20-meter mark has been marked. Even small elevations in their role as wind barriers, DESERT PROGRESS, and dust, thus significantly influence regional climatic factors in Western India.
The Aravalli range does not remain confined to the boundaries of the state of Rajasthan. In fact, the range stretches from Gujarat through Rajasthan and even Haryana, almost up to the boundaries of Delhi. For ages, this range has acted as a natural barricade against the eastern expansion of the Araval-ish Desert.
According to environmental experts, reducing this buffer mean that air quality in the National Capital Region deteriorates, more frequent and intense heatwaves, and affecting water resources.
Heritage sites and lost districts
The Aravallis are more than just resources for ecological purposes. These ranges have prominent cultural features, including Kumbhalgarh Fort, which has the second largest wall in the world, after the Great Wall of China, and then there’s the forest in the area of Goram Ghat.
Lawyers and activists have highlighted the alarming gaps in the government mappings. The ministry’s list of 34 Aravalli districts across four states excludes several areas with a well-established Aravalli presence. Among the absent areas is Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh district, which is famous for its hill-top fort – the UNESCO World Heritage property that literally sits on top of an outcrop of the Aravalli. There was one that was already existing as an alternative solution
However, the 100 meter mark was not the only option on the table. In response to the directive from the Supreme Court to have a common definition, a new panel of experts defined the Aravalli range to include landforms at least 30 meters high with an inclination of at least 4.57 degrees as Aravali landforms in 2024.
Thus, this would have ensured the conservation of nearly 40% of the range. However, it is the more stringent standard of 100 meters that the environment ministry of the Union finally submitted to the court in an unsigned document.
Why activists are alarmed
Ecologists believe that ecological significance cannot be measured in terms of land height only. Even small Aravalli ranges with scrubland possess immense significance in maintaining biodiversity, recharging groundwater, and stabilizing the microclimate, in addition to preventing the entry of dust storms. They warn that developers and miners could soon target hills below 100 metres, accelerating the irreversible destruction of India’s oldest mountain range.
Contrary to popular perception, mining in Aravali has never been subject to a blanket ban. At the same time, absolute bans are known to result in illegal mining and encourage the sand mafia, as held by the Supreme Court on multiple occasions. However, it has instead opted for a balanced approach whereby it will allow the already established mines to operate legally, cancel leasing until the scientific mapping and impact assessment studies are carried out, and grant permanent protection to sensitive areas. This was once again reiterated along with its Aravalli Green Wall Project for the regeneration of the neglected land.
The controversy over Aravali is no longer one over definitions and geological facts. The debate is over whom to leave the future of a mountain range that provides security over the livelihoods, purity of the air, and water of a massive population of people. For people on the streets of Rajasthan, one thing is clear: that once weakened, there will be no turning back.
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