Of human greed and vanishing mountains-Read

The Aravalli Green Wall Project has the potential to become a turning point in combating land degradation and desertification

India’s oldest mountain range — Aravalli — had long become the victim of human greed, with 31 out of the 128 hillocks vanishing. The environmental degradation of the three-billion-old Aravalli range, which straddles the States of Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat, exposes the apathy of successive governments towards the open plunder of mineral resources. Once a thriving ecosystem of hills, forests, fauna, aquifers and natural drainage, the Aravallis now carries the dubious distinction of being the country’s most degraded forest range. Taking advantage of the jurisdictional ambiguities, miners have ravaged the hills, particularly in villages along the Haryana-Rajasthan border, leaving flattened landscapes and staggering losses. In 2023 alone, over eight crore tonnes of minerals vanished from the hills due to relentless assault from illegal mining, reducing their majestic peaks to rubble. Despite repeated FIRs and complaints by the affected villagers, no action to halt the destruction is visible. The loss is not just economic — it has devastated local habitats, displaced communities and disrupted groundwater recharge zones critical for the Delhi-National Capital Region’s ecology. The Haryana government has estimated a Rs 2,500-crore loss over the last two years due to illegal mining by contractors from Rajasthan, who, it alleges, exploit the lack of demarcation to expand their activities unchecked. To counter this menace, Haryana has planned to use LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology for boundary demarcation and intends to recover costs from Rajasthan. However, this jurisdictional tussle only underscores deeper governance failures. Collaborative action by the two States is essential to resolve disputes and implement the Supreme Court directives banning mining in the Aravallis.

A 2023 study shows that nearly 8% of the Aravalli mountains have disappeared since 1975, with projections indicating a 22% loss by 2059 if rapid urbanisation and mining continue. However, the focus must shift to preventive measures — deploying advanced surveillance technologies, imposing strict penalties on unscrupulous miners and bolstering enforcement. The ambitious Aravalli Green Wall Project, an eco-restoration initiative by the Centre, gives some hope. It has the potential to become a turning point in combating land degradation and desertification. Covering over 1.1 million hectares across Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi, this 1,400-km-long and 5-km-wide green corridor aims to restore the Aravalli hills’ ecological vitality. It seeks to reverse the destruction. Haryana’s proactive measures, such as reviving 75 water bodies and restoring 35,000 hectares of degraded land, exemplify the potential of collaborative efforts among States to tackle this environmental crisis. The World Bank is supporting the project with funding for initiatives like afforestation, water conservation and pollution control. Notwithstanding the lofty goals, the project’s success, however, depends on enforcing conservation laws to prevent illegal mining and encroachments. The States must transcend political boundaries to protect these shared ecological treasures. The Green Wall Project is a fight to reclaim the Aravallis and reverse decades of destruction.