Guardians of the Green Wall: The Aravalli Mountain Range’s Ecological, Cultural & Economic Significance
A month after the Supreme Court’s November 20 verdict narrowed the official definition of the Aravalli Hills, protecting only those peaks above 100 metres and potentially opening vast lower stretches to mining, a wave of public outcry has erupted. The #SaveAravalli campaign is trending nationwide, with environmentalists, villagers, and even politicians rallying to highlight the ecological importance of the two-billion-year-old mountain range. In Rajasthan, Haryana and other parts of North India, thousands have joined protests, including a symbolic day-long fast at Haryana’s Tosham Hill, urging rejection of the new height-based rule that could expose lower Aravalli hills to unchecked mining. Amid the protests, the Union Environment Ministry has stepped in with a “complete ban” on granting any new mining leases across the entire Aravalli range, from Delhi to Gujarat, pending a sustainable mining management plan.
On this issue, Dr. Sayandeep Banerjee of Department of Geology, Banaras Hindu University has conveyed his concerns with us. He said that stretching roughly 700 km through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, the Aravalli range is often described as “northern India’s ecological spine and lungs”. He also said that the Aravalli mountain range is as old as 180 to 250 crore years and used to be similar in its structure to the youngest fold-mountain belt, the Himalaya. However, due to billion years of denudation/erosional processes, it has been reduced to its present height with its present highest peak at Mount Abu (~1723m). He also emphasized that the Aravalli stands as a vital natural shield, halting the eastward spread of the Thar Desert by blocking sand and dust-laden winds before they can advance into the fertile plains. Dr. Banerjee also warns that breaches in the Aravallis have already allowed desert dust to blow into Delhi-NCR, worsening air pollution in the capital region. Dr. Banerjee also highlighted that the forested hills also help regulate weather pattern, their tree cover preserves humidity, modulates hot winds, and even influences rainfall by trapping moisture. These functions are critical in checking droughts across north-western India and preventing the climate of Delhi and surrounding states from tilting towards arid, semi-desert conditions.
Dr. Sayandeep Banerjee said that the Aravallis form a crucial water recharge zone for the region. The weathered rocks and networks of natural aquifers within the hills absorb monsoon rains and replenish groundwater reserves across Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and parts of Gujarat. Any damage to this natural recharge system, for instance, through quarrying or blasting, risks disrupting aquifers and drying up wells and lakes. He said that “the critical ecosystem services of the Aravalli range for millions of people living in north-western India cannot be over-emphasised”.
Discussing on the issue Dr. Banerjee said that the biodiversity harboured in these ancient hills further underscores their ecological value. Despite centuries of human activity, the remnant Aravalli forests remain a biodiversity hotspot, a green corridor that shelters over 200 bird species and numerous endangered animals including leopards, hyenas, jackals, and jungle cats. The varied terrain of scrublands, woodlands, ravines and seasonal water bodies provides habitats that sustain diverse flora and fauna. The forests of the Aravalli also serve as the “green lungs” of Delhi-NCR, filtering particulate pollution, sequestering carbon, and mitigating the capital’s notorious smog to some extent.
Discussing on the issue Dr. Banerjee said that beyond its environmental functions, the Aravalli range supports millions of people in their daily lives across North India. Forests in these hills sustain rural communities in 37 districts by providing wood, fodder for livestock, medicinal herbs, and grazing lands, as well as reliable spring water and groundwater wells. Dr. Banerjee also said that “The cultural identity, livelihood, and survival of several tribal and rural communities depend directly or indirectly on the Aravalli hills & forests”.
Dr. Banerjee added that the range’s impact on agriculture is especially significant. By preventing soil erosion and preserving topsoil moisture, the Aravalli forests help maintain fertile farmlands in adjoining areas. Farmers in southern Haryana, eastern Rajasthan and beyond rely on groundwater recharged by the hills for irrigation during dry seasons. For a largely agrarian hinterland, the food security of North India is intertwined with the integrity of the Aravalli ecosystem.
Finally, Dr. Banerjee shared his views on the balance between development and ecology. At the heart of the current debate is how to balance the Aravallis’ rich mineral wealth with its environmental protection. The range is resource-rich, holding deposits of minerals such as marble, granite, lead, zinc, copper, silver, etc. that have long fuelled local economies and India’s construction industry. This has made the Aravallis a focal point for mining interests, legal and illegal, resulting in scars on the landscape. Respecting the Supreme Court’s recent judgment Dr. Banerjee said that reconsideration should be done on this matter with a team/committee of Geologists and environmentalists to clarify where mining can or cannot occur by adopting an eco-friendly approach.
Dr. Banerjee said stress that any mineral extraction in the Aravallis must be conducted in an eco-friendly manner, adhering to the strictest environmental safeguards and followed by vigorous restoration of the mined sites to more than compensate for the ecological loss. Sustainable mining in practice would mean minimal disturbance to surrounding forests and water systems, for biodiversity hotspots, and mandatory rehabilitation of exhausted mines so that the landscape can recover.
Nevertheless, recent reports suggest that Government officials, however, have downplayed these concerns, insisting that the new definition will not endanger the Aravallis. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has labeled reports of large-scale mining access as “misinformation,” stating that more than 90% of the Aravalli area will remain protected and that only 9% of the range might be eligible for mining, and that too under stringent conditions. The Supreme Court, also mandated a comprehensive, science-based Management Plan for Sustainable Mining to guide any future activity. Until this plan is in place, the Court has frozen all new mining leases in the Aravalli region. In line with the judgment, the Environment Ministry on December 24 directed all Aravalli states to prohibit new mining leases indefinitely, aiming to preserve the continuity of the range as a single geological and ecological unit.
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Dr. Sayandeep Banerjee, Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorStructural Geology, Global Tectonics & CrystallographyLaboratory for Analyses of Magnetic and Petrofabric (LAMP-BHU) & Computational Modelling FacilityDepartment of Geology, Institute of Science Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221 005, IndiaEmail: sdbanj87@gmail.com / sayandeep87.geo@bhu.ac.in
