Context
The Supreme Court intervened to protect the Aravalli hills by fixing a uniform definition of the Aravalli range and pausing new mining leases across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat due to large-scale ecological damage caused by mining.
Why Aravallis are important
• Act as a barrier against desertification of the Indo-Gangetic plains.
• Help in groundwater recharge, climate regulation and biodiversity protection.
• Support rivers like Chambal, Sabarmati and Luni.
What was the problem
• Excessive and illegal mining over decades.
• States used different definitions of Aravallis to allow mining.
• Blanket bans earlier led to illegal mining mafias.
Supreme Court’s approach
• Accepted a uniform, scientific definition of Aravalli hills.
• Paused fresh mining leases.
• Directed preparation of a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM).
• Mining completely banned in ecologically sensitive areas.
• Limited, regulated mining allowed elsewhere.
Government action
• Launched Aravalli Green Wall Project to expand green cover in buffer areas, aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
