🔗 Share this article The Reason The Nation's Aravalli Mountain Range Are at the Centre of Escalating Demonstrations. An aerial view of a part of the Aravalli terrain in Rajasthan. Demonstrations have broken out across the northern part of the country after the Supreme Court redefined the Aravalli hills – one of the world's oldest mountain ranges spanning the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and the capital territory. Under the new definition, approved by the court based on federal government recommendations, an Aravalli hill is any landform with a minimum elevation of 100 metres (328 ft) above the adjacent land. 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. Ecologists assert that defining Aravalli hills by height risks leaving numerous shorter, vegetation-clad but vitally important hills vulnerable to mining and construction. The central administration, however, maintains that the new definition is meant to enhance oversight and bring uniformity and not dilute protections. A group of demonstrators in Gurugram city near Delhi hold placards to save the Aravallis. Why are People Protesting? Over the past few days, peaceful protests were held in cities including Gurugram and Udaipur, led by local residents, farmers, green activists, and, at times, lawyers and political parties. An organizing member of a key environmental group remarked that the new definition threatens to compromise the critical role of the Aravalli range in "preventing desertification, recharging groundwater and protecting livelihoods" in northwest India. The lower, scrub-covered hills play a vital role in preventing desertification, boosting water tables and sustaining communities as per experts. "The Aravalli range should not be defined solely by elevation, but by its ecological, geological and climatic purpose," said an environmental activist associated with the movement to save the Aravallis. He added that, internationally, mountain ranges are classified by the roles they play, not by arbitrary elevation thresholds. "Any landform that is structurally a component of the Aravalli system and plays a critical role 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 define Aravalli areas using research-based parameters, including topography, ecology, wildlife connectivity and environmental durability. A campaigner cautioned that the court's new definition could encourage extractive industries, development and business projects, heightening the risk of environmental harm. Opposition parties have ramped up their censure, cautioning that the new definition could cause significant environmental degradation. A senior politician declared that protecting the Aravallis is "inseparable from Delhi's survival." A different official described the range the state's "lifeline," adding that without it, "a vast region up to Delhi would have turned into a desert." What Does the Government Say? India's federal government has attempted to minimize these apprehensions. In a recent statement, it said the new definition is meant to bolster governance and create standardization, noting that a clear, unambiguous definition was required to oversee extraction consistently across states. It added that the new definition encompasses the whole mountainous region – incorporating slopes, associated landforms, and connecting zones – clearly safeguarding hill clusters and their connections. The federal environment ministry said it is wrong to assume that mining will be allowed on all landforms under 100 metres. The government states areas inside the Aravalli hills or ranges are excluded from new mining leases, while current operations can continue if they follow sustainable mining norms. It noted that mining remains banned in core "inviolate" areas – reserved woodlands, environmentally fragile zones, and wetlands – aside from certain critical, strategic, and atomic minerals allowed by law. The minister responsible for ecology indicated only about two percent of the 147,000 sqkm Aravalli range might be open to extraction, and only after comprehensive assessments and official approval. Nevertheless, several of the protesting groups contend that protests will persist and that they are considering judicial avenues to contest the court's new definition.
An aerial view of a part of the Aravalli terrain in Rajasthan. Demonstrations have broken out across the northern part of the country after the Supreme Court redefined the Aravalli hills – one of the world's oldest mountain ranges spanning the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and the capital territory. Under the new definition, approved by the court based on federal government recommendations, an Aravalli hill is any landform with a minimum elevation of 100 metres (328 ft) above the adjacent land. 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. Ecologists assert that defining Aravalli hills by height risks leaving numerous shorter, vegetation-clad but vitally important hills vulnerable to mining and construction. The central administration, however, maintains that the new definition is meant to enhance oversight and bring uniformity and not dilute protections. A group of demonstrators in Gurugram city near Delhi hold placards to save the Aravallis. Why are People Protesting? Over the past few days, peaceful protests were held in cities including Gurugram and Udaipur, led by local residents, farmers, green activists, and, at times, lawyers and political parties. An organizing member of a key environmental group remarked that the new definition threatens to compromise the critical role of the Aravalli range in "preventing desertification, recharging groundwater and protecting livelihoods" in northwest India. The lower, scrub-covered hills play a vital role in preventing desertification, boosting water tables and sustaining communities as per experts. "The Aravalli range should not be defined solely by elevation, but by its ecological, geological and climatic purpose," said an environmental activist associated with the movement to save the Aravallis. He added that, internationally, mountain ranges are classified by the roles they play, not by arbitrary elevation thresholds. "Any landform that is structurally a component of the Aravalli system and plays a critical role 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 define Aravalli areas using research-based parameters, including topography, ecology, wildlife connectivity and environmental durability. A campaigner cautioned that the court's new definition could encourage extractive industries, development and business projects, heightening the risk of environmental harm. Opposition parties have ramped up their censure, cautioning that the new definition could cause significant environmental degradation. A senior politician declared that protecting the Aravallis is "inseparable from Delhi's survival." A different official described the range the state's "lifeline," adding that without it, "a vast region up to Delhi would have turned into a desert." What Does the Government Say? India's federal government has attempted to minimize these apprehensions. In a recent statement, it said the new definition is meant to bolster governance and create standardization, noting that a clear, unambiguous definition was required to oversee extraction consistently across states. It added that the new definition encompasses the whole mountainous region – incorporating slopes, associated landforms, and connecting zones – clearly safeguarding hill clusters and their connections. The federal environment ministry said it is wrong to assume that mining will be allowed on all landforms under 100 metres. The government states areas inside the Aravalli hills or ranges are excluded from new mining leases, while current operations can continue if they follow sustainable mining norms. It noted that mining remains banned in core "inviolate" areas – reserved woodlands, environmentally fragile zones, and wetlands – aside from certain critical, strategic, and atomic minerals allowed by law. The minister responsible for ecology indicated only about two percent of the 147,000 sqkm Aravalli range might be open to extraction, and only after comprehensive assessments and official approval. Nevertheless, several of the protesting groups contend that protests will persist and that they are considering judicial avenues to contest the court's new definition.