Aravalli Hills

Environmental activists on Saturday held protests in Haryana's Gurugram and Rajasthan's Udaipur against the new elevation-based definition of what constitutes the Aravalli hills, which they feared could prove detrimental to the ecological balance of one of the country's oldest mountain ranges. In Gurugram, a large number of activists, members of social organisations and locals gathered outside the residence of Cabinet minister Rao Narbir Singh and staged a peaceful protest. The protesters held banners and placards, and raised slogans such as "Save Aravalli, Save the Future" and "No Aravalli, No Life". They expressed deep concern over the Supreme Court order ratifying the new definition. The top court, on November 20, 2025, accepted the recommendations of a committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on the definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges. According to the new definition, "Aravalli Hill is any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an ...

The Aravalli range is more than a backdrop to Delhi-NCR. It helps recharge groundwater, buffers dust and desert winds, and supports crucial wildlife corridors.

The SC's acceptance of a 100-metre hill rule has alarmed experts who fear it could exclude large parts of the Aravallis from protection, affecting mining limits, forest cover and groundwater security

It is worth noting that the bulk of the degradation of the Aravallis is the result of plain illegal activities, costing state governments crores of rupees in revenue

The disappearance of the hills in the Aravalli range as a result of illegal mining, land encroachment and urbanisation has led to an increase in sandstorms in Rajasthan, according to a study by the Central University Rajasthan. The study, done by Professor Sharma and PhD scholar Alok Raj, was titled Assessment of land-use dynamics of the Aravalli range (India) using integrated geospatial and CART approach. It was recently published in the international journal Earth Science Informatics'. "The disappearance of hills is one of the reasons behind rising sandstorms. Evidence suggests that places which saw the vanishing hills, like Bharatpur, Dholpur, Jaipur, and Chittorgarh, have been facing more sandstorms than usual," said LK Sharma, professor and HOD Environmental Science at CURAJ. In April and May this year, several of these areas were swept by sandstorms and rain, which even claimed several lives. According to the report, at least 31 hills in the upper Aravalli range ...

Haryana police makes submission before National Green Tribunal about its investigation

By selling natural mineral water at a nominal cost of Rs 3 per litre for a population of about 3.5 million people, Jaipur could earn a revenue of over Rs 10 billion per year

Vandalisation of the hills can lead to disaster