The Aravalli Range is one of India’s oldest mountain systems, running roughly 670 km from Delhi through Haryana and Rajasthan into Gujaratpib.gov.intimesofindia.indiatimes.com. It formed in the Proterozoic era (about 2 billion years ago) as a fold mountain belttimesofindia.indiatimes.compib.gov.in. The range’s highest point is Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Geologically, the Aravallis predate the Himalayas, having endured millennia of erosion and tectonic upheavaltimesofindia.indiatimes.compib.gov.in. Today these hills, once much taller, are mostly worn-down ridges and hillocks spread across semi-arid terrain.
The Aravalli Range stretches across north-western India, with scrub forests and rocky outcrops rising from surrounding plains. Ecological studies emphasize that the Aravallis act as a critical “green barrier” against desertificationscobserver.indowntoearth.org.in. These hills intercept the Thar Desert’s sand-laden winds before they reach the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains and the National Capital Regionscobserver.indowntoearth.org.in. By slowing down desert winds, the forest and soil of the Aravallis trap sand and dust, protecting agricultural lands in Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh from encroachmentdowntoearth.org.inscobserver.in. The range’s vegetation and natural rock fissures also help recharge groundwater: rain and runoff percolate into aquifers as they pass through the hillspib.gov.indowntoearth.org.in. In this way the Aravallis maintain soil moisture and river flows in adjacent lowlands.
The Aravalli hills are clothed in dry deciduous forests and scrub. These forests stabilize the soil with dense root systems, absorb fine dust and pollutants, and increase local humidity. Ecologists warn that cutting these trees would allow desert dust to spread unchecked into cities and farmsdowntoearth.org.inscobserver.in. In fact, researchers note that the loss of even relatively small ridges in the Aravallis (on the order of 10–100 meters high) can create gaps through which dust storms and heat waves penetrate far into northern Indiadowntoearth.org.inscobserver.in. The hills also host significant wildlife. For example, Sariska and Kumbhalgarh in Rajasthan, and the Delhi Ridge, preserve tiger, leopard and deer populations within the Aravalli ecosystemtimesofindia.indiatimes.comscobserver.in. In short, scientists stress that the Aravalli Range performs multiple ecosystem services: a natural shield against desert expansion, a habitat corridor, and a vital catchment for rainwaterscobserver.inpib.gov.in.
Legal Status and Protection
The Aravalli ecosystem has long been under legal protection. In 1992 the Union government issued notifications under the Environment (Protection) Act that covered much of the Aravallis as “uncultivable hills” or forest landsdowntoearth.org.in. Over the following decades, multiple Supreme Court rulings (notably in M.C. Mehta vs. Union of India and T.N. Godavarman Thirumalpad vs. Union of India) reinforced this protection, frequently banning or restricting mining and development in notified Aravalli areas. For example, a 2010 Forest Survey of India (FSI) report used criteria of slope and height to delineate protected Aravalli land, based on ecological studiesdowntoearth.org.in. These overlapping state and national measures – including strict bans on mining in “Gair Mumkin Pahar” (forbidden hills) – had, until 2025, provided a coherent shield against large-scale exploitationdowntoearth.org.in.
However, a long-recognized problem was that each state (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi) had its own definition of what counted as “Aravalli Hills” and “Aravalli Range.” In 2024 the Supreme Court directed the government to create a uniform definition to resolve this confusionpib.gov.in. This led to a high-level committee under the Ministry of Environment (with state forest officials, FSI and GSI representatives) proposing a specific elevation-based definition. In November 2025 the Court accepted those recommendationspib.gov.inscobserver.in. Under the new criterion, only landforms rising at least 100 metres above the local surrounding terrain are classified as “Aravalli Hills,” and an “Aravalli Range” consists of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each otherhindustantimes.comscobserver.in. Importantly, this definition applies “above local relief,” meaning the height is measured from the nearest valley or plains around the hill (not sea level)hindustantimes.comndtv.com. The Supreme Court emphasized this change was intended to make protection clearer, and it reiterated that the Aravallis are “among the oldest geological features” and a vital ecological shieldscobserver.inpib.gov.in. It also imposed an interim moratorium: no new mining leases in Aravalli areas were to be granted until a comprehensive management plan is drawn upscobserver.intheprint.in.
Redefinition Controversy and Protests
News of the uniform definition triggered strong public concern. Environmentalists and residents in Rajasthan, Haryana and the NCR feared that requiring a 100m height would exclude most smaller hills and forested ridges from protection. In fact, a government document and media reports noted that only about 8–9% of Aravalli hills in Rajasthan exceed 100 mdowntoearth.org.inndtv.com. (An internal FSI analysis reportedly found 1,048 out of 12,081 recorded Aravalli hills over 20 m in Rajasthan met the 100m cut-offdowntoearth.org.inndtv.com.) Opposition leaders and activists pointed out that this meant roughly 90% of the ancient hillocks would no longer be counted as protected “Aravalli Hills.” In response, the government maintained that “over 90% of the Aravalli region remains protected” under the new rule and that existing mining norms were not relaxedtimesofindia.indiatimes.comndtv.com.
Nonetheless, mass protests erupted in late 2025. Demonstrations were held in Gurgaon (Haryana) and Udaipur, among other citieshindustantimes.com. On placards and social media, people chanted slogans like “Save Aravalli, Save the Future” and “No Aravalli, No Life”hindustantimes.com. Lawyers in Udaipur and civil society groups demanded that the range be fully protected and not thinned by the new definition. Protesters warned that if most ridges lose legal status, developers and mining firms could easily clear them, allowing desert sands and dust to advance and water tables to fallhindustantimes.comdowntoearth.org.in. Opposition leaders explicitly noted that the Aravalli hills “stop the desert,” and without them much of north-west India – even up to Delhi – could face rapid desertificationhindustantimes.comdowntoearth.org.in. (Scientists and policy analysts have similarly argued that even if the Thar Desert itself is greening, its windblown sands will continue advancing unless the Aravalli “wind-break” is preserveddowntoearth.org.indowntoearth.org.in.)
Government Response and Next Steps
The popular outcry prompted fresh actions by government and courts. On 24 December 2025, the Ministry of Environment issued a press release directing all Aravalli-affiliated states to ban any new mining leases in the hillstheprint.in. The release said the ban applies “across the entire Aravalli as a continuous ridge” from Gujarat to Delhi, aiming to preserve the landscape’s ecological integritytheprint.inpib.gov.in. It also asked the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to prepare a detailed Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) in consultation with states and expertstheprint.inscobserver.in. Until that plan is ready, no new leases would be granted; ongoing mining would be strictly regulated under existing rulestheprint.inscobserver.in. The Ministry emphasized that the government remained “fully committed” to long-term protection of the Aravalli ecosystem – citing its role in preventing desertification, recharging aquifers, and providing environmental servicestheprint.inscobserver.in.
Critics noted that these measures largely echoed court directives already in place. Indeed, the Supreme Court’s Nov 2025 order itself mandated a moratorium on new mining until the MPSM was drawn upscobserver.in. To resolve the dispute over the height criterion, the Supreme Court on 29 December 2025 put the 100m definition on hold and constituted a high-powered expert committeeindianexpress.com. This panel – including geologists and forest ecologists – will review the previous committee’s recommendations and assess how many Aravalli hills would be affected. Until the committee reports, the apex court has stayed any change of status for lower hillsindianexpress.com.
Meanwhile, authorities have continued active enforcement on the ground. For example, in mid-2025 Faridabad (Haryana) officials demolished dozens of large illegal farmhouses and resorts built in the forest area, following a court deadline to clear encroachmentstribuneindia.com. A drone survey identified over 6,700 unauthorised structures in the Aravalli belt of Faridabad alone, many owned by wealthy and influential peopletribuneindia.com. Such enforcement drives – which raze walls, floors or entire buildings – are intended to restore the hills to a more natural state.
Threats from Mining and Development
Beyond legal definitions, the Aravallis face ongoing threats from mining and land grabbing. Large deposits of construction minerals (sand, gravel, marble, quartz) lie in the hills, and both legal and illegal mining has historically shattered many ridges. Even after previous bans, illegal stone quarries and sand pits continue clandestinely in parts of the range. Powerful mining lobbies and sympathetic politicians have been accused of undermining enforcement.
Commercial developers have also targeted the Aravalli commons. Investigative reports found that the Patanjali Group (Baba Ramdev’s company) acquired over 400 acres of hilly, forested land in Faridabad’s Aravalli area by using hundreds of power-of-attorney agreementsrediff.com. These transactions bypassed state laws forbidding sale of village “Shamlat” lands. A court case is now recovering much of this land for the local panchayat. Similarly, several large luxury farmhouses, wedding resorts and gated enclaves have been built on protected Aravalli land in Haryana and NCR.tribuneindia.comrediff.com In one 2025 demolition campaign, some demolished mansions were valued at crores and reportedly owned by the children of bureaucrats or associates of politicianstribuneindia.com.
These activities violate longstanding legal protections (such as the Supreme Court’s 2004 orders for 33,000 hectares) and degrade the environment. The authorities’ recent clearing operations and court cases indicate how extensive the encroachment has been. In addition to stopping new violations, many experts recommend active restoration. The Environment Ministry has launched initiatives like the “Aravalli Green Wall Project” – a plan to reforest degraded land and stabilize dunes – as part of a broad effort to heal the landscapescobserver.in.
Conservation Outlook
Experts caution that the long-term health of north India’s climate and water supply hinges on preserving what remains of the Aravallis. If most of the low hills are allowed to be denotified or mined, decades of accumulated soil and vegetation could be swept away by winds or development, harming Delhi’s air quality and rural agriculture alikedowntoearth.org.indowntoearth.org.in. Conversely, sustained protection and restoration of the Aravalli “wind-break” could mitigate dust storms, deepen aquifers, and preserve wildlife corridors. Public activism has already prompted legal re-evaluation, and conservation groups are urging the new expert panel to adopt the more ecologically grounded definitions proposed by scientists rather than a purely height-based rule. In the meantime, the blanket ban on new leases and the ongoing cleanup of illegal structures aim to safeguard the hills.
In summary, the 2-billion-year-old Aravalli Range remains a vital natural asset. It is today at the center of a high-stakes debate: balancing development against the urgent need to protect its ecosystem services. All stakeholders agree on its importance – as the “lifeline” that holds back the desert – but they differ on how to define and enforce its protection. The outcome will shape not only the fate of the hills themselves but also the future environment and water security of the populous regions they flankpib.gov.inhindustantimes.com.
Sources: Information in this article is drawn from official government releases and reputable news and analysis outletspib.gov.inhindustantimes.comtheprint.inscobserver.intribuneindia.comrediff.comdowntoearth.org.indowntoearth.org.inndtv.com. These include Indian government fact sheets, Supreme Court reports, and journalism by The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, Down To Earth, NDTV, The Tribune, and investigative media. All factual claims are supported by these sources as cited.
