🔗 Share this article Why India's Aravalli Mountain Range Have Become the Epicenter of Growing Protests. A panoramic shot of a section of the Aravalli region in Rajasthan. Unrest has flared across northern India after the Supreme Court issued a new definition for the Aravalli hills – one of the world's oldest mountain ranges spanning the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi. According to the fresh parameters, approved by the court following federal government suggestions, an Aravalli hill is any landform rising at least 100 metres (328 ft) from the surrounding terrain. Two or more such hills less than half a kilometre of each other, combined with the land between them, are classified as an Aravalli range. Conservationists contend that defining Aravalli hills based on elevation could leave numerous shorter, vegetation-clad but vitally important hills unprotected from quarrying and development. The federal government, on the other hand, states that the new definition is meant to strengthen regulation and establish consistency and not weaken protections. A group of demonstrators in the city of Gurugram near Delhi hold placards to save the Aravallis. The Roots of the Unrest Recently, calm demonstrations were held in cities such as Gurugram and Udaipur, led by community members, farmers, environmental activists, and, in some cases, lawyers and political parties. A founder member of a key environmental group stated that the new definition threatens to compromise the essential function of the Aravalli range in "halting desert expansion, recharging groundwater and protecting livelihoods" in the northwestern region. The shorter, vegetated hills play a vital role in stopping desert creep, boosting water tables and sustaining communities according to experts. "The Aravalli range should not be defined by height alone, but by its environmental, physical and weather-related purpose," said an environmental activist involved in the campaign to save the Aravallis. He said that, globally, mountains and hill systems are identified by the roles they play, not by arbitrary elevation thresholds. "Any landform that is structurally a component of the Aravalli system and serves a vital purpose in ecology or combating desertification should be recognised as a component of the system, irrespective of its height." Protesters are calling for that the government delineate Aravalli areas using research-based parameters, encompassing topography, ecology, animal corridors and environmental durability. One activist warned that the court's new definition could encourage mining, construction and commercial activity, heightening the threat of ecological damage. Political opponents have ramped up their censure, warning that the new definition might lead to significant environmental degradation. A senior politician declared that safeguarding the Aravallis is "inseparable from Delhi's survival." Another leader called the range the state's "life-support system," stating that without it, "the entire area up to Delhi would have become a desert." The Government's Stance India's federal government has attempted to minimize these apprehensions. In a recent statement, it said the new definition is intended to bolster governance and create standardization, adding that a clear, unambiguous definition was needed to regulate mining consistently across states. It added that the new definition covers the whole mountainous region – incorporating slopes, associated landforms, and connecting zones – explicitly protecting hill clusters and their connections. The national environment department said it is wrong to assume that mining will be allowed on all landforms under 100 metres. The government says areas within the Aravalli hills or ranges are excluded from new mining leases, while existing ones can continue if they adhere to environmentally sound practices. It added that mining remains banned in core "inviolate" areas – reserved woodlands, eco-sensitive zones, and wetlands – except for certain critical, strategic, and atomic minerals allowed by law. The minister responsible for ecology said only about two percent of the 147,000 sqkm Aravalli range might be open to extraction, and only after comprehensive assessments and formal clearance. Nevertheless, several of the protesting groups contend that protests will persist and that they are considering legal options to challenge the court's new definition.
A panoramic shot of a section of the Aravalli region in Rajasthan. Unrest has flared across northern India after the Supreme Court issued a new definition for the Aravalli hills – one of the world's oldest mountain ranges spanning the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi. According to the fresh parameters, approved by the court following federal government suggestions, an Aravalli hill is any landform rising at least 100 metres (328 ft) from the surrounding terrain. Two or more such hills less than half a kilometre of each other, combined with the land between them, are classified as an Aravalli range. Conservationists contend that defining Aravalli hills based on elevation could leave numerous shorter, vegetation-clad but vitally important hills unprotected from quarrying and development. The federal government, on the other hand, states that the new definition is meant to strengthen regulation and establish consistency and not weaken protections. A group of demonstrators in the city of Gurugram near Delhi hold placards to save the Aravallis. The Roots of the Unrest Recently, calm demonstrations were held in cities such as Gurugram and Udaipur, led by community members, farmers, environmental activists, and, in some cases, lawyers and political parties. A founder member of a key environmental group stated that the new definition threatens to compromise the essential function of the Aravalli range in "halting desert expansion, recharging groundwater and protecting livelihoods" in the northwestern region. The shorter, vegetated hills play a vital role in stopping desert creep, boosting water tables and sustaining communities according to experts. "The Aravalli range should not be defined by height alone, but by its environmental, physical and weather-related purpose," said an environmental activist involved in the campaign to save the Aravallis. He said that, globally, mountains and hill systems are identified by the roles they play, not by arbitrary elevation thresholds. "Any landform that is structurally a component of the Aravalli system and serves a vital purpose in ecology or combating desertification should be recognised as a component of the system, irrespective of its height." Protesters are calling for that the government delineate Aravalli areas using research-based parameters, encompassing topography, ecology, animal corridors and environmental durability. One activist warned that the court's new definition could encourage mining, construction and commercial activity, heightening the threat of ecological damage. Political opponents have ramped up their censure, warning that the new definition might lead to significant environmental degradation. A senior politician declared that safeguarding the Aravallis is "inseparable from Delhi's survival." Another leader called the range the state's "life-support system," stating that without it, "the entire area up to Delhi would have become a desert." The Government's Stance India's federal government has attempted to minimize these apprehensions. In a recent statement, it said the new definition is intended to bolster governance and create standardization, adding that a clear, unambiguous definition was needed to regulate mining consistently across states. It added that the new definition covers the whole mountainous region – incorporating slopes, associated landforms, and connecting zones – explicitly protecting hill clusters and their connections. The national environment department said it is wrong to assume that mining will be allowed on all landforms under 100 metres. The government says areas within the Aravalli hills or ranges are excluded from new mining leases, while existing ones can continue if they adhere to environmentally sound practices. It added that mining remains banned in core "inviolate" areas – reserved woodlands, eco-sensitive zones, and wetlands – except for certain critical, strategic, and atomic minerals allowed by law. The minister responsible for ecology said only about two percent of the 147,000 sqkm Aravalli range might be open to extraction, and only after comprehensive assessments and formal clearance. Nevertheless, several of the protesting groups contend that protests will persist and that they are considering legal options to challenge the court's new definition.