#SaveAravalli: Public Outrage As Court Ruling Threatens Mountain Range To Potential Mining

Jaipur: A new definition of the Aravalli mountain range, given by a Supreme Court Bench, based on its height and width, has sparked outrage. The height and width-based standards, environmentalists said, raised serious concerns regarding mining in the Aravalli mountain range.

Environmentalists believe that if the Aravalli is defined solely on the basis of height or width, a large number of hilly areas will be opened up for mining.

It has, almost instantly, given birth to an intense social media campaign and a movement called #SaveAravalli involving a cross-section of people and triggering street protests. Possibilities of mining in the Aravalli region, using terms like "sustainable mining," have brought environmental activists, experts, and political parties into conflict.

The Supreme Court decision on November 20 by a bench headed by former Chief Justice B R Gavai adopted the recommendations of a committee led by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The Court’s ruling stated that only hills higher than 100 meters should be considered part of the “Aravalli Hills.”

Also, as per the ruling, two or more hills will be considered part of the “Aravalli Range” only if they are situated within 500 meters of one another. The Apex Court decision has sparked outrage as environmentalists and climate experts, in media reports, flagged this as opening up over 60 per cent of the mountain range to mining.

The Aravalli mountain range, stretching for approximately 692 kilometres from Gujarat to Delhi, has stood tall as a natural protective shield for northwestern India for millions of years. This mountain range spans over a total of 39 districts across Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat.

The vast Aravalli range acts as a "shield" against the eastward expansion of the Thar desert, prevents hot winds' incursions and dust storms from reaching the plains, and plays a crucial role in groundwater recharge.

This ETV Bharat report examines the importance of the Aravalli and why it holds a special place in human life. The Report also discusses the likely impact of the new definitions and their effect on nature and human life, and the mountains.

Among the world's oldest mountain ranges, the Aravalli is the source of several rivers and protects the plains from hot winds and dust storms. From biodiversity to natural conservation, the Aravalli sustains human life, but today its very existence is under threat. The debate is linked to the environment, climate, water resources, biodiversity, and the future of millions of people.

The Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav has presented the government's position on this entire issue. Yadav presented the government's stance during a recent event in Delhi. He said that if any government is fully committed to saving the Aravallis, it is the current central government. He argued, “The Aravallis cannot be protected solely through afforestation.”

However, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was opposed to the views and raised several questions.

Meanwhile, the "Water Man" Rajendra Singh has also spoken out. Social activist and 'Waterman' Rajendra Singh explains that the Aravalli mountain range is considered one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. It was formed during the Proterozoic era, meaning it is millions of years old.

Rajendra Singh says, “This is a matter of lifeline. He said that the definition being given to mining in the Aravalli is not just a legal matter, but a question of the lifeline of the people living there. Aravalli conservation began with the intervention of the Supreme Court, and its focus has been on Alwar. The former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, just before his retirement, called the Aravalli the 'backbone' of India. He objected to the term 'sustainable mining,' saying it was like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs to get the eggs. He argues that even if mining is limited, the moment the mountain's structure is broken, the entire ecosystem weakens.”

Citing old Supreme Court judgments, Singh explained that after mining was stopped in the Sariska Tiger Reserve, a ban was also imposed on mining in the Alwar and Gurugram regions. He also mentioned his foot march from Himmatnagar in Gujarat to the Parliament House in Delhi. He said that it was due to this public movement and judicial intervention that large-scale mining activities were stopped in the Aravalli region.

He warned that if mining resumes in the Aravallis now, its impact will be clearly visible on temperature, rainfall, and climate.