But, with the Supreme Court recently accepting a new government definition that only hills taller than 100 meters will count, experts have warned that many parts of the ecologically vital Aravalis may no longer be protected and thus could expose many regions, including Delhi, to harsher weather and drought conditions.
Expressing disappointment over the Supreme Court’s decision, Harjeet Singh, founding director, Satat Sampada Climate Foundation, highlighted that labelling only hills that surpass 100 metres as ‘Aravalis’, “erases the landscape that keeps North India breathing and feeds the wells.”
“On paper, it’s ‘sustainable mining’ and ‘development’, but on the ground, it is dynamite, roads and pits cutting through leopard corridors, village commons and Delhi-NCR’s last green shield,” he told PTI.
Singh further noted that the new definition could amount to “slow deletion” of the mountain range and, with it, the water, wildlife and weather it helps steady.
“This isn’t just the loss of biodiversity or a geological wonder, it also severs the region’s critical recharge zone, guaranteeing harsher dust storms, plummeting groundwater and a lethal spike in air pollution for a million,” he said. “Aravali Hill” will be defined as any landform in designated Aravali districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief, and an “Aravali Range” will be a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other. While the Supreme Court directed the authorities to identify permissible areas for “mining and ecologically sensitive, conservation-critical and restoration priority areas within the Aravali landscape where mining shall be strictly prohibited or permitted only under exceptional and scientifically justified circumstances,” Environmentalist Vimlendu Jha said that the decision risks the disappearance of the Aravalis by 90 per cent.
“The top court permitting any form of mining or other ‘developmental’ activities effectively means that up to 90 per cent of the Aravali hills could vanish. In the context of rising air pollution, this decision, while the Supreme Court simultaneously speaks of taking long-term measures, ends up exploiting the very natural safeguards that should be protected,” Jha told PTI, adding that “it is an ecological treasure.”
The Aravallis, India’s oldest mountain range, are the source of important rivers such as the Chambal, Sabarmati and the Luni. Its forests, grasslands and wetlands support endangered plant and animal species.
However, deforestation, mining, livestock grazing and human encroachment are worsening desertification, damaging aquifers, drying up lakes and reducing the range’s ability to sustain wildlife.
In March 2023, the government launched the Aravalli Green Wall initiative to tackle these issues. The project aims to establish a five-kilometre-wide green belt buffer, covering 6.45 million hectares across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
Noting that the fundamental drivers of wind-blown dust that are overwhelming the NCR and other states are not truly being addressed, Executive Director of the Centre for Science and Environment, Anumita Roy Chowdhury, stated that the role of the Aravalis, the forests, and the green belt becomes crucial, “because this natural barrier is essential for protecting air quality.”
“It not only shields us from desert dust but also provides the green cover needed to trap pollution and absorb toxic emissions from the air,” Chowdhury told PTI.
The national capital continues to struggle with toxic air, as the air quality on Friday remained in the ‘very poor’ category once again.
Thirty stations across the city reported ‘very poor’ levels, with Bawana recording the highest AQI at 373. The city recorded an AQI of 279 on Sunday, which slipped back to 304 on Monday. It rose further to 372 on Tuesday, edging towards the ‘severe’ mark, and stood at 342 on Wednesday. It again turned ‘very poor’ on Thursday at 304.
Terming the Aravali hills as one of the last armours against dust, Environmentalist Bharati Charturvedi stated that the new government definition is going to have a very severe effect on the health of the children, the elderly, outdoor workers, people living in inadequate quality housing, as well as various other vulnerable populations.
“This decision needs serious reconsideration because, in fact, it will render Delhi completely unliveable. No amount of plantations within the city can substitute for the Aravalis,” Chaturvedi told PTI.
The issue of pollution and the top Court’s decision on the Aravali have also been echoing within the Parliament and amongst political leaders, as the Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the government has now “nearly signed a death warrant” for the Aravali hills.
She demanded that the government withdraw the amendments it “bulldozed” through Parliament in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, as well as the Forest Conservation Rules (2022).
Demanding a debate on air pollution in the Parliament, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra termed it a “huge public issue that needed to be discussed.” She highlighted that pollution in India is worsening every year and called for strong government action, emphasising that climate issues are not political and that measures taken to protect the environment will be supported by them.