Why Aravali is Important to us?

              Why Aravali is Important to us ?

       The Aravalli Range, one of the world's oldest fold mountain systems dating back nearly two billion years, stretches approximately 700 km southwest from Delhi through Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. It acts as a barrier against the Thar Desert's expansion and regulates regional climate. 

      "India's ancient treasure" the Aravallis, is the oldest fold mountains on Earth. Now, mining on these hills could lower water tables, contaminate aquifers across Gujarat, Rajasthan, South Haryana, and Delhi-NCR, and intensify human-wildlife conflict due to shrinking habitats. 

      Now recently, Supreme Court accepted the recommendations by a committee of Ministry of Environment on the definition of the Aravalli Hill Ranges, which mentioned that hills lower than 100 metres will no longer be recognised as part of the ancient hills. 

      Aravalli, a composite Sanskrit word from the roots which literally means the "line of peaks". If we look deeper on this issue, it is nothing but the slow-motion ecological unravelling. 

      Now, let's try to understand the geographical Significance of Aravali.

      The Aravalli Range is located in north-western India, stretching about 700 km from near Delhi, through southern Haryana, across Rajasthan and ending in Gujarat, acting as a natural barrier against the Thar Desert and protecting biodiversity and water recharge zones for North-West India.  

        Now, focus on major threats what we are going to face --

      • Areas falling outside the definition may become vulnerable to mining, construction, and urban expansion, potentially reversing decades of conservation efforts. 

     • Lower hills and slopes are crucial for rainwater percolation and aquifer recharge; their disturbance could lower water tables across Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi-NCR. 

    • Mining activities directly cause loss of native vegetation and forest cover, reducing moisture retention and soil stability.

     • Dust from mining operations contributes to air pollution in whole North India. 

      

       We, as a human being, have to understand the development should not be done on the cost of our mother nature. We have wake up and rise a voice "Save Aravali before silence replaces green."

     #SaveAravali