If the Aravalli Ranges are not protected, climate disasters and droughts are coming

Social media is abuzz with concerns about the future of the Aravalli Ranges, known as the 'green lungs' of North India. The reason for this is the new definition given by the Supreme Court to the Aravalli Ranges and the ranges, which stretch for 700 km from Delhi to Rajasthan. The recommendation of an expert committee headed by the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment was accepted by a bench comprising former Chief Justice Justice B.R. Gavai, K. Vinodchandran and N.V. Anjaria in its order dated November 20. According to this, hills that are 100 meters or more above the ground level will come under the definition of the Aravalli Ranges.

90 percent of the Aravalli Ranges will be outside the new definition

Two or more such Aravalli ranges within a radius of 500 meters will be considered as the Aravalli Ranges. Anything that does not fall within this definition is not the Aravalli Hills. The strict mining ban imposed on the Aravalli Hills and mountain ranges should not be applied to non-hills. Therefore, environmentalists share the concern that the mining mafia can do as it pleases. 90 percent of the Aravalli will be outside the new definition. Because most of it is grasslands, shrubs and small hills.

Aravalli controversy looms over Delhi's air pollution

The Aravalli controversy has cast a new shadow of fear over the black smog that poisons Delhi's air during the winter. The uniqueness of the Aravalli is that most of its hills are less than a hundred meters high. Most of them have an average height of 20 meters. In Rajasthan alone, 1,16,753 hills are less than 100 meters high. The total area of the Aravalli forest is 1.44 lakh square kilometers.

Can cause climate disasters and drought

The depletion of the Aravalli could lead to major climate disasters and severe drought. Environmentalists, social scientists, lawyers and politicians are concerned that about 60 percent of the Aravalli will be opened up to the mining mafia. Environmentalists point out that 35 percent of the Aravalli area has been degraded in the last two decades. Environmentalists have started protesting on the streets in Rajasthan, raising the slogan of protecting the Aravalli.

The Aravalli Range provides more than a hundred things

The Aravalli Hills prevent the northwestern landscape of India from desertification. It also blocks dust storms from the Thar Desert. It helps in recharging groundwater. These mountains also retain the spring water of the Chambal, Sabarmati and Luni rivers. Meanwhile, the central government says that there will be no mining concessions that will destroy the Aravalli hills. The explanation is that the new definition is an arrangement that has been implemented in Rajasthan since 2006. According to this, not only a hill with a height of 100 meters will be protected, but the entire valley area adjacent to it will be protected, the center says. Not only two hills within a radius of 500 meters, but the entire area between them will come under protection. Moreover, the Supreme Court has suggested such a definition criterion to enable sustainable mining and to prevent continued mining without any restrictions. That is, the definition will be applicable only in the case of mining permission.

The court gave the order in 2024

The Supreme Court had in May 2024 directed the formation of a committee to remove the ambiguity in the definition of Aravalli. Following this, the Ministry of Environment formed a committee headed by the Secretary, comprising the Environment Secretaries of all four states, representatives of the Forest Survey of India, the Geological Survey of India, and a high-powered committee as directed by the Supreme Court. The committee, after detailed discussions, decided to follow the definition adopted by Rajasthan in this regard since 2006.

After all four states agreed to accept the Rajasthan model, the expert committee submitted this recommendation to the Supreme Court and the court accepted it. It has been suggested that before any mining decision, mapping of the hills should be done and the Survey of India map should be checked to ensure accuracy. The Center also clarified that mining will be banned in protected forest areas, ecologically sensitive areas, tiger reserves, water bodies, and areas adjacent to all these. Through the ban, we can be protected from natural disasters to some extent.

Court needs more clarification

However, in a suo motu case initiated following concerns related to the revised definition of the Aravalli Hills, the Supreme Court has temporarily stayed its earlier directions regarding changing the definition of the Aravalli Hills after it expressed concern that the expert committee report and the court's observations were being misinterpreted. A bench comprising Chief Justice Suryakant, Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice AG Masih said that more clarification is needed before implementing the report or the court's directions, and has referred the matter suo motu to the court on January 21.