{"id":60024,"date":"2025-11-27T20:14:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T14:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=60024"},"modified":"2025-11-28T15:05:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:35:56","slug":"sc-approval-of-aravalli-hills-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-11-2025\/sc-approval-of-aravalli-hills-definition","title":{"rendered":"SC Accepted the recommendations on the Definition of Aravalli Hills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Supreme Court accepted the<strong> recommendations of a Union Environment Ministry panel<\/strong> on the <strong>definition of Aravalli Hills to restrict mining.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Supreme Court has accepted the committee\u2019s recommendations relating to:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>the uniform definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>prohibition of mining in core\/ inviolate areas;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and measures for enabling sustainable mining and preventing illegal mining in the Aravalli Hills and Ranges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dfd6d3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dfd6d3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"359\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Aravalli-Hills.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-60031\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Aravalli-Hills.webp 359w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Aravalli-Hills-173x300.webp 173w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 359px) 100vw, 359px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For decades, the Aravalli hills have been <strong>under severe pressure from mining<\/strong>, <strong>both legal and illegal,<\/strong> and other development activities such as construction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Last year, the SC had asked the government to<strong> come up with an uniform definition of the Aravalli.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While the<strong> FSI has been using a 3-degree slope yardstick<\/strong> to define Aravalli Hills <strong>since 2010, <\/strong>a technical committee formed for the purpose in <strong>2024 modified the benchmark.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It defined any landform with a<strong> slope of at least 4.57 degrees<\/strong> and a height of at <strong>least 30m<\/strong> to identify as Aravalli Hills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These yardsticks would effectively <strong>cover up to 40% of the Aravallis.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>New Definition by Panel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Any landform that is at an <strong>elevation of 100 m or more<\/strong> above the local relief will be considered as part of Aravalli Hills along with its slopes and adjacent land.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>By this definition<strong> 90% of the Aravali Hills<\/strong> will not be counted as Aravalli anymore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>As per an internal assessment by the Forest Survey of India (FSI): <\/strong>Barely 1,048, or<strong> just 8.7% <\/strong>spread across 15 districts in Rajasthan, are 100 m or more in height.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The 20m height cut-off is crucial for a hill\u2019s function as a wind barrier.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Aravalli Range<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Aravalli Range, stretching over approximately 692 kilometres (430 miles) in a <strong>northeastern direction, <\/strong>traverses the Indian states of <strong>Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Haryana<\/strong> before culminating in Delhi, is the <strong>oldest mountain range in India.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rajasthan <\/strong>accounts for <strong>nearly two-thirds<\/strong> of the mountain range.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The mountain range is characterised by <strong>rugged hills, rocky outcrops, and sparse vegetation,<\/strong> and it plays a crucial role in the region&#8217;s ecology and hydrology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Aravallis serve as a <strong>natural barrier against desertification,<\/strong> and helps regulate the climate, supports diverse ecosystems, and acts as a watershed for several rivers, including the <strong>Sabarmati, Luni, and Banas.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rich in biodiversity, the Aravallis are home to a variety of flora and fauna, including <strong>dry deciduous forests, scrublands, and grasslands,<\/strong> as well as numerous species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns with the New Definition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>By this definition, <strong>more than 90% of the Aravali Hills<\/strong> will not be counted as Aravalli anymore and be potentially <strong>open to mining and construction with severe environmental ramifications,<\/strong> including the quality of air in the NCR.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Area excluded:<\/strong> The ministry\u2019s list of 34 Aravalli districts across four states left out many districts with an established presence of Aravalli.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Accepting the 100-m height definition, the SC has asked the ministry to develop a <strong>Management Plan for Sustainable Mining<\/strong> with the help of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) for the Aravalli Hills under the new definition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/forest-survey-had-red-flagged-but-govt-took-green-shield-off-90-per-cent-aravalli-hills-10388228\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Supreme Court accepted the recommendations of a Union Environment Ministry panel on the definition of Aravalli Hills to restrict mining.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Background<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">For decades, the Aravalli hills have been under severe pressure from mining, both legal and illegal, and other development activities such as construction.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Last year, the SC had asked the government to come up with an uniform definition of the Aravalli.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">While the FSI has been using a 3-degree slope yardstick to define Aravalli Hills since 2010, a technical committee formed for the purpose in 2024 modified the benchmark.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-11-2025\/sc-approval-of-aravalli-hills-definition\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60024"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60033,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60024\/revisions\/60033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}