Aravalli New Definition Mining: What Changed and Why It Matters
According to an internal study of the Forest Survey of India, the new definition of the Aravallis, which was put up by the Center on October 13 and approved by the Supreme Court on November 20, essentially eliminates nearly 90% of the range from safeguards against mining and other development activities.
This definition, according to critics, would severely damage an already degraded hill range that offers a variety of ecological and environmental benefits to northern and northwest India. It would include any landform that is 100 meters or higher above the local relief.
Aravalli new definition: Supreme Court Approval and the Center’s December 24 Directive
On December 24, 2025, the Center sent a letter to the states instructing them to follow the Supreme Court’s orders and make sure that no new mining leases are given in the Aravallis until a management plan for sustainable mining has been finalized. The Aravallis are among the world’s oldest mountain ranges, dating back more than a billion years. They were created during the Precambrian Era when the Earth’s crust’s tectonic plates collided. With 560 km in Rajasthan, the roughly 700-km range spans 37 districts and four states (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi).
Aravalli New Definition: Human Activity and Natural Forces Behind Aravalli Degradation
However, the current range is significantly more degraded than the Aravallis were when they first appeared. Both human activity and natural forces are to blame for their degradation. However, the Aravallis offer invaluable ecological services. The Aravalli range serves as an ecological barrier for the plains of Northwest and North India, if the Western Ghats are regarded as peninsular India’s water tower and climatic regulator. The range protects the northern lowlands from sand intrusion from the western Thar Desert. The North’s air quality is also safeguarded by this. The Delhi-NCR Region, which is already having difficulty controlling local sources of pollution, would suffer greatly from any further sand intrusion.
Rainfall, Gaps in the Hills, and Growing Water Stress
Additionally, the hills receive a healthy quantity of rainfall, which is necessary for nearby settlements’ agricultural demands and drinking water supply. Studies show that there are already 12 significant gaps in the Aravallis as a result of deforestation, quarrying, and erosion. These gaps span the northernmost hillocks in the Mahendragarh district of Haryana, the Khetri-Madhogarh hills in the Jhunjhunu district, and the Magra hills in the Ajmer district. The stony structures of the hills are crucial for replenishing aquifers and groundwater levels, as well as supporting the seasonal rivers of Gujarat and Rajasthan. However, the impact of the Aravallis on water drainage and recharge is not sufficiently discussed.
The important role the Aravalli hills play in this regard is documented in the Center’s action plan for Aravalli landscape restoration. According to the action plan, “the Aravalli range is one of the main watersheds, separating the drainage of the Arabian Sea through the Mahi, Sabarmati, Luni, and other rivers from that of the Bay of Bengal through rivers like the Chambal and other tributaries of the Yamuna.” According to the action plan, the area is also home to significant wetlands and lakes, like as Sambhar, Sultanpur, Pushkar, Fateh Sagar, and Jaisamand.
Groundwater Recharge and the Hidden Hydrological Role of the Aravallis
Because of the Aravallis’ extremely worn, cracked, and porous rocks, precipitation can seep deeply into the earth rather than evaporating. For the water security of quickly expanding towns and cities like Faridabad, Gurugram, and Sohna, this enormous but unseen reserve is essential. The availability of water in the area is directly and seriously threatened by any disturbance of this recharge mechanism, whether it be from mining, building, or deforestation. Regarding biodiversity and wildlife, the mountains offer a distinctive semi-arid, dry, and deciduous environment where a variety of plants and animals can thrive. There are 22 wildlife sanctuaries in the range, including 16 in Rajasthan, three of which are tiger reserves: Ranthambore, Sariska, and Mukundra.
Wildlife Corridors, Mining Pressure, and Habitat Fragmentation
Tigers, leopards, sloth bears, sambars, chitals, desert foxes, blackbucks, hyenas, wolves, jackals, gharials, and crocodiles are among the important species that may be found in this area. Additionally, these species play an important role in maintaining semi-arid scrub forests and semi-dry savanna woodlands, as those in Alwar’s Sariska Tiger Reserve. These ecosystem services must be taken into account in the standard height definition and management plan for sustainable mining, as mandated by the Supreme Court before granting new leases.
Livelihood Dependence of Local Communities on the Aravallis
The wildlife corridors would be reduced if the smaller Aravalli hillocks were made available for mining. Due to increased human pressure and forest degradation, the ecological richness of the Aravallis is fast decreasing and is currently limited to protected regions and fragmented forest patches. Communities in the Aravallis rely on fuelwood, fodder, fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants to support their way of life. Urbanization, industrial clusters, and both legal and illicit mining have all contributed to the degradation of the Aravallis, which are already under tremendous strain. In its action plan for the “Aravalli Green Wall” project, the Union government has acknowledged the widespread deterioration.
Critical Minerals vs Environmental Protection: A Policy Dilemma
Deforestation, mining, grazing, and human encroachment are the main causes of the growing dangers to the Aravalli Range. Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary’s forest cover was reduced before the 1980s due to the diversion of forest areas. As desert sands spread eastward, areas like Gurugram and Alwar are becoming more vulnerable to desertification. According to the Center’s action plan, mining operations have harmed aquifers, dried out lakes, and decreased the range’s capacity to sustain species.
The Aravallis are acknowledged as a storehouse of metals and minerals, including important minerals; thus, these difficulties are only going to get worse. The Supreme Court has approved the Center’s request to create an exception for vital minerals, even if it has imposed a kind of moratorium on new mining leases until a thorough mining plan review is completed.
In addition to having stocks of vital minerals including tin, graphite, molybdenum, niobium, nickel, lithium, and rare earth elements (REEs), the mountain range is home to lead, zinc, copper, gold, and tungsten. These are thought to be strategically important for national security, high-tech manufacturing, and the energy transition. It is unclear how the new definition would affect the real estate industry, even if the Center claims it is exclusively applicable to mining. The mountain range, which is already under stress, has to be protected more strictly due to these pressures.
This article is based on an opinion piece originally published in The Indian Express titled “Why the Aravallis matter for the climate, air, and water of north India plains”, dated December 27, 2025, written by Nikhil Ghanekar. The content has been adapted and contextualized for explanatory and educational purposes.