Introduction
Spanning approximately 670 km from Gujarat through Rajasthan and Haryana to Delhi, the Proterozoic Aravalli Range is among the world's oldest fold mountain systems. It serves as the ecological backbone of north-western India, providing essential ecosystem services, climatic moderation, and natural barriers against environmental degradation.
Significance of the Aravalli Range
- Barrier Against Desertification: The range acts as a physical shield checking the eastward expansion of the Thar Desert into the fertile agricultural plains of eastern Rajasthan and the Indo-Gangetic basin.
- Hydrological Security and Groundwater Recharge: The fractured geological formations function as a critical recharge zone for aquifers in water-stressed regions, including Delhi-NCR. It also serves as the catchment and headwaters for rivers such as the Banas, Luni, Sabarmati, and Sahibi.
- Contiguous Wildlife Corridor: It forms a vital biological corridor connecting fragmented habitats from the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan to the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in Delhi, supporting diverse flora and fauna.
- Regional Green Lung and Climate Moderation: Dense forested tracts act as a carbon sink and natural dust shield, attenuating airborne particulate matter from western dust storms and moderating microclimates across northern plains.
Measures for Protection from Encroachment and Urbanisation
- Demarcation and Mining Curbs: Enforce uniform scientific and ecological definitions of the range across all riparian states, implementing strict prohibitions on illegal stone quarrying and mining in accordance with Supreme Court directives.
- Statutory Enforcement and Demolitions: Strictly implement the provisions of the Aravalli Notification (1992) prohibiting non-forestry and commercial land use. Urban encroachments on forested commons should be cleared adhering to the judicial precedent set in the Kant Enclave demolition case.
- Aravalli Green Wall Project: Develop a 5-km wide green belt along the range across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi to reforest and rehabilitate degraded scrublands and prevent desert fringe expansion.
- Geo-Spatial Monitoring: Institutionalise real-time drone surveillance and satellite-based land-use tracking using Forest Survey of India (FSI) data to identify and penalise unauthorised construction activities immediately.
- Interstate Statutory Authority: Establish a dedicated interstate coordination body comprising representatives from all four states and the Union Government to ensure uniform, landscape-level conservation rather than fragmented local planning.
Conclusion
Preserving the fragile ecosystem of the Aravallis is vital to the long-term water and climate security of north-western India. A unified regional governance framework, backed by rigorous judicial enforcement and ecological restoration, is essential to halt irreversible land degradation.