Context:
- The Supreme Court (SC) in November 2023 accepted the Union government’s definition of the Aravalli hills, which provides protection only to areas within 100 metres of identified hill features.
- This acceptance came despite opposition from the Court’s own Central Empowered Committee (CEC) and contrary to the Forest Survey of India (FSI) recommendation.
- The issue relates to environmental protection, mining regulation, and hill ecosystem conservation across Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi-NCR.
Key Highlights:
Background of the Aravalli Issue
- Aravallis are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, acting as a natural barrier against desertification and a groundwater recharge zone.
- Large-scale mining, construction, and urbanisation have degraded the range over decades.
Government’s 100-metre Definition
- In October 2023, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) proposed a definition restricting Aravalli hills to:
- Areas within 100 metres of a hill boundary.
- Hills identified largely by revenue records.
- This definition was accepted by the Supreme Court on November 20, 2023.
Forest Survey of India (FSI) Recommendation
- FSI proposed a scientific definition based on:
- Minimum elevation
- Slope of at least 3 degrees
- This method would have protected:
- Lower hill systems and foothills
- Around 90% of Aravalli hill area, including regions outside the 100-metre limit.
Role of Central Empowered Committee (CEC)
- CEC (constituted by SC in 2002) wrote to the Court as amicus curiae:
- Highlighted that the 100-metre rule excludes large ecologically critical zones.
- Warned that green-to-blue zones in FSI maps would lose protection, enabling mining.
- CEC stated that its recommendation was neither examined nor approved before the SC decision.
Concerns Raised
- Lower hills act as:
- Wind barriers preventing Thar Desert expansion
- Catchment areas for groundwater
- Under the 100-metre rule:
- Nearly 1.18 lakh hectares of Aravalli hills may become open to mining.
- Significant portions in Rajasthan (Sikar district) and Haryana risk ecological damage.
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Issue: Narrow legal definition of Aravalli hills.
- Causes:
- Dependence on revenue records instead of scientific mapping.
- Policy preference for development and mining interests.
- Government Initiative:
- MoEF&CC’s 100-metre yardstick for hill protection.
- Benefits Claimed:
- Clarity in regulation.
- Easier demarcation for mining permissions.
- Challenges:
- Exclusion of foothills and lower hill ecosystems.
- Weakening of environmental safeguards.
- Impact:
- Increased mining.
- Risk of desertification, biodiversity loss, groundwater depletion.
Relevant Mains Points:
- Key Institutions:
- Supreme Court of India
- MoEF&CC
- Forest Survey of India (FSI)
- Central Empowered Committee (CEC)
- Conceptual Issues:
- Difference between administrative definition vs scientific/ecological definition.
- Importance of slope-based and geomorphological mapping.
- Environmental Significance of Aravallis:
- Climate regulation.
- Biodiversity hotspot.
- Barrier against desert spread.
- Governance Concerns:
- Ignoring expert scientific advice.
- Dilution of precautionary principle and sustainable development.
- Way Forward:
- Adopt FSI’s slope-based scientific definition.
- Integrated GIS-based mapping of hill systems.
- Strengthen judicial scrutiny of environmental decisions.
- Balance development with long-term ecological security.
UPSC Relevance (GS-wise):
- GS I: Physical geography – ancient mountain systems.
- GS II: Role of judiciary, governance, expert bodies.
- GS III: Environment, biodiversity, mining regulation, sustainable development.
- GS IV: Ethics in environmental governance and intergenerational equity.