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Scientists believe that if this mountain range did not exist, the northern region of India would have started turning into a desert. However, due to this range, the Thar Desert has not been able to spread further north (into Haryana, Rajasthan, and western Uttar Pradesh).
SC order triggers nationwide environmental campaign
New Delhi: The Aravalli Mountains are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. However, a recent issue related to them is turning into a social media campaign. The situation arose when a petition was filed in the Supreme Court regarding mining activities near these mountains. The central government filed a response in the Supreme Court.
Following this response, certain developments have taken place across the country, bringing the Aravalli range into the spotlight. Not only that, a 'Save Aravalli Campaign' has even started on social media platforms. Politics has also entered the picture. Therefore, it is important to know what the Aravalli mountain range is and why it is so important?
Why has the Aravalli range become a topic of discussion? What do experts say about this matter? What do political parties have to say about this issue? Let's find out... What is the Aravalli mountain range, and why is it so important? The Aravalli mountain range is said to be one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth. It is approximately two billion years old and the oldest in India. It acts as a crucial ecological barrier, protecting the Indo-Gangetic plains from the desert sands.
Scientists believe that if this mountain range did not exist, the northern region of India would have started turning into a desert. However, due to this range, the Thar Desert has not been able to spread further north (into Haryana, Rajasthan, and western Uttar Pradesh). Moreover, the Aravalli range plays a vital role in balancing the climate between the Thar Desert and the rest of the region.
In addition, this range is extremely important in maintaining biodiversity and managing groundwater in the entire region. Because of this, the approximately 650-kilometer area from Delhi to Gujarat is crucial for maintaining natural diversity. This range is also the source of rivers like the Chambal, Sabarmati, and Luni. It also has reserves of sandstone, limestone, marble, and granite.
In addition, minerals such as lead, zinc, copper, gold, and tungsten are also found in this mountain range. The Aravalli's existence is under threat: The invisible guardian of Delhi is being compromised, endangering the city's air, water, and future. The story of the exploitation of the Aravalli begins with these reserves. Historically, large-scale mining has taken place in the Aravalli. However, in the last four decades, the mining of stone and sand has increased. Now, the situation is such that mining in the Aravalli severely affects air quality and worsens the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the surrounding states.
Moreover, mining is impacting the groundwater in the surrounding areas. Due to these conditions, mining has been declared illegal in different areas of the Aravalli at different times. 2025 March: The committee clarified that mining should be completely stopped in environmentally sensitive areas. In addition, strict regulations were proposed for stone crushing units. The committee stated that no new mining leases should be granted and old leases should not be renewed until the entire Aravalli range is mapped in all the states and an impact report is completed. June: The central government launched the Green Wall project. Under this project, a five-kilometer-wide forest area will be created around the mountains in 29 districts of the four states that fall within the Aravalli range, which will act as a buffer.
The government stated that this initiative would help restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. So what happened that brought the Aravalli range into the spotlight? The Supreme Court has found that different states are using different standards to identify the Aravalli mountain range. Even expert groups, including the Forest Survey of India (FSI), are defining the Aravalli mountains using different standards.
In 2010, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) had stated that only those hills in the Aravalli range with a slope greater than three degrees, an elevation above 100 meters, and a distance of 500 meters between two hills would be considered mountains. However, many high hills did not meet these criteria. Following this, the Supreme Court constituted another committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Environment, the FSI, state forest departments, the Geological Survey of India (GSI), and its own committee.
This committee was tasked with defining the Aravalli range. Finally, in 2025, this committee submitted its report to the Supreme Court. On November 20, the Supreme Court ruled that only hills higher than 100 meters would now be considered part of the Aravalli mountain range. The court-appointed amicus curiae, K. Parameshwar, objected to this, arguing that this definition was too narrow and that all hills less than 100 meters high would become eligible for mining, impacting the entire range. However, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati argued that the FSI's old criteria excluded an even larger area of the Aravalli range from the definition of a mountain.
Therefore, the committee's argument for considering only hills above 100 meters as part of the mountain range was more reasonable. After hearing all these arguments, the Supreme Court issued directions to prepare a better management plan for the Aravalli mountain range. This plan will pre-determine areas where mining will be completely prohibited. It will also identify areas where mining will be permitted only in a limited or regulated manner.
If the standards are implemented, how much of the Aravalli range will be affected? Of the total 670 kilometers of the Aravalli range, 550 kilometers fall within Rajasthan. Experts say that the Aravalli is not just a matter of altitude, but a complete ecosystem. According to government and technical studies, about 90 percent of the hills in the Aravalli range located in Rajasthan do not meet the 100-meter height requirement.
This means that only 8 to 10 percent of the hills in the state will be legally considered 'Aravalli', while the remaining approximately 90 percent of the hills may fall outside the purview of conservation laws. Environmentalists believe that this fight is not limited to the courts or the government, but is a shared responsibility of society.
The damage to the Aravalli can be permanent, because once the mountains are cut down and the water sources are disrupted, it takes centuries to restore them. This is why raising awareness and asking questions has become a necessity to secure the future. What do government department officials say? Dinesh Gupta, former Director General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), said that in 2008, the Supreme Court had formed a committee of the Geological Survey of India to determine the limits of mining activity in the Aravalli range.
I was a member of this committee as the GSI DG. In 2008, the committee submitted a report to the Supreme Court stating that the area below the 100-meter contour level in the Aravalli should be considered non-Aravalli, and the rest should be considered part of the Aravalli. The Supreme Court had also accepted this report. After this, due to protests from environmental activists, the matter did not progress further.
The statements being made in this matter are misleading. It is not true that mining in the Aravalli will lead to the expansion of the desert. There are many other reasons for desertification. How did the whole matter reach political circles? Now, environmentalists and the opposition have launched a major campaign on this issue. The 'Save Aravalli' campaign has started across the country. In Rajasthan, this campaign is being led by former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Gehlot expressed concern that if the situation is so serious even with the Aravalli range intact, the thought of how horrific the situation would be without the Aravallis is terrifying. Describing the Aravallis as the main basis for water conservation, he said that its rocks allow rainwater to seep into the ground, thus recharging groundwater.
If the mountains disappear, there will be a severe shortage of drinking water in the future, wildlife will become extinct, and the entire ecosystem will be endangered. Gehlot said that scientifically, the Aravalli range is a continuous chain. Its smaller hills are just as important as the larger peaks. If even a single brick is removed from the wall, the protection will be compromised. The Aravalli range is not just an ordinary mountain range, but a 'green wall' created by nature.
It prevents the sand and hot winds (loo) of the Thar Desert from advancing towards the fertile plains of Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. If the 'gaping areas' or smaller hills are opened up for mining, the desert will reach our doorstep, and there will be an unprecedented increase in temperature. These hills and the forests here act as the lungs for the NCR and surrounding cities. They prevent dust storms and play a crucial role in reducing pollution. On the other hand, the BJP is accusing the Congress of playing politics on this issue.
Bhupendra Yadav, BJP MP from Alwar and Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said at an event that the 1968 Land Reforms Report was presented during Ashok Gehlot's tenure in 2002, and now he is submitting memorandums on this matter. Meanwhile, some BJP leaders have also questioned the government's intentions.
Rajendra Rathore, a senior BJP leader and former cabinet minister in Rajasthan, stated that the government should file a review petition in the Supreme Court regarding the Aravalli issue. He said that the definition of the Aravallis should not be limited to just the technical parameter of height. The lower hills, ridge structures, and connected landforms are equally important ecologically.
If the scope of legal recognition becomes too narrow, conservation efforts could be weakened, and the environmental protection system built over the past three decades could be jeopardized. The government should file a review petition.
