Why SC's height-based definition of Aravallis triggering protests

The Aravalli hills, one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges, have returned to the spotlight following a recent Supreme Court order on how the range should be defined. 

Acting on the recommendations of a Centre-appointed expert committee, the SC accepted a uniform, height-based definition of the Aravallis: An Aravalli is any landform rising at least 100 meters above surrounding terrain and an Aravalli range consists of two or more such hills within 500 meters from each other.

 

This has triggered concerns that large stretches of low-lying hills and ridges could fall outside regulatory protection. Over the past week, environmental groups and Opposition leaders in Haryana’s Gurugram and Rajasthan’s Udaipur argue the new definition risks legitimising mining and construction in ecologically sensitive zones that play a key role in groundwater recharge, dust control and climate regulation. 

On Tuesday, the state Congress announced a mass agitation across 19 districts against the criterion and accused the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Rajasthan of misleading the people. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot criticised the Centre over Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav’s claim that only 0.19 per cent of the Aravalli region would be opened for new mining.

 

The Congress' reaction came a day after the Union minister accused the Opposition party of spreading “misinformation” and “lies” on the issue of the new definition of the Aravallis.

 

According to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the SC-approved framework does not dilute protection, insisting that over 90 per cent of the Aravalli landscape remains safeguarded under the existing environmental laws and that mining will be tightly regulated. 

 

A status check

 

According to a report submitted by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to the SC, 31 of the 128 identified hills in Rajasthan have disappeared over the years due to anthropogenic pressures, such as unchecked mining of red silica, granite and other minor minerals, and rapid urbanisation.

 

The vanished hills, some rising 200 to 600 metres above sea level, were located in areas including Naraina, Kalwar, Kotputli, Jhalana, and Sariska. Between 1972 and 1975, around 16 Aravalli districts in Rajasthan had forest cover spanning 10,462 sq km. In less than a decade, from 1981 to 1984, the forest cover had reduced to 6,116 sq km.

 

Widening gaps in the range could intensify dust storms and worsen air pollution in Delhi and neighbouring states, as stated by a study by the Wildlife Institute of India. Comptroller and Auditor General reports have flagged open cast mining as a major driver of land degradation and recommended reviewing or suspending mining leases in vulnerable areas.

 

(With PTI inputs)