The Aravalli Hills

IN NEWS:

The Haryana Forest Department has started aerial seeding to improve green cover in the Aravalli area.

ARAVALLI RANGE:

Location:

• The Aravalli is one of the oldest fold mountain range in the world. It stretches from Gujarat in the southwest to Delhi in the northeast, running approximately 692 km.
• The range covers parts of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. It has a hidden limb that extends from Delhi to Haridwar and creates a divide between the drainage of rivers of the Ganga and the Indus.

Geology:

• The range rose in a Precambrian event called the Aravalli-Delhi Orogen.
• The mountains are divided into two main ranges – the Sambhar Sirohi Range and the Sambhar Khetri Range in Rajasthan.
• In ancient times, Aravalli were extremely high but since have worn down by millions of years of weathering. Today, the average elevation is 400-600m. The highest peak is Guru Shikhar in Rajasthan.

Environment:

• The Northern Aravalli range in Delhi and Haryana has humid subtropical climate and hot semi-arid climate. The Central Aravalli range in Rajasthan has an arid and dry climate. The Southern Aravalli range in Gujarat has a tropical wet and dry climate.
• Three major rivers flow from the Aravalli, namely Banas, Sahibi and Luni.

Ecology:

• The Aravalli is rich in biodiversity and provides habitat to a wide variety of endemic fauna and flora, especially leopards and striped hyenas.
• A number of national parks, wildlife reserves, and tiger reseves lie in the Aravalli Range. Some of the most prominent ones are the Sariska tiger reserve, Ranthambore national Park and Aravalli biodiversity park.

Human habitations:

• Human inhabitations in the Aravalli date back to the early stone age. The Tosham hills have several Indus Valley Civilization sites. The mountains had copper mines dating back to the fifth century BC.
• Today, the hills are rapidly being urbanised in an unsustainable manner, particularly in the areas of Haryana and Delhi.

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Geomorphological: The Aravallis check the spread of the Thar desert towards the Indo-Gangetic plains by acting as a barrier between the two regions. It also forms the water divide between the east flowing and west flowing rivers.
• Climatological: During monsoons, the mountain range guides the attenuated monsoon clouds eastwards towards Shimla and Nainital, thus helping nurture the sub-Himalayan rivers and feeding the north Indian plains.
• Economical: The range hosts significant mineral deposits of base metals (copper, lead and zinc), noble metals (gold and silver) and building material such as marble and granite.
• Ecological: The weathered rocks of Aravalli— granite, gneiss and quartzite rocks, make ideal zones for the percolation of rainwater and contribute to the aquifers below. Moreover, the forest cover over the Aravalli acts as lungs for the congested metropolis of Delhi–National Capital Region (NCR).
• Cultural: The hills and its forests still hold cultural significance for local communities such as Gujjars. Mount Abu is a pilgrimage place of the Jains, and a popular tourist attraction.

PROTECTION OF ARAVALLIS:

• The British were the first to recognize the importance of the range and declared parts of it as a reserve forest under the Indian Forest Act of 1878. 
• In 1900, the British enacted the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), which prohibited mining, clearing of forest or land for cultivation. This protection, however, applied only to a small portion of the Aravallis in Haryana, which was then part of the Punjab region.
• In the mid-1980s there were people’s movements to save the Delhi ridge. As a result, in 1992, MoEFCC issued a notification known as “The Aravalli Notification”. This notification prohibited the setting up of new industries, mining, deforestation as well as construction activities, without the prior permission from MoEFCC.
• In 2002, the Supreme Court banned mining in the range, unless cleared by the MoEFCC.

CONCERNS OVER ARAVALLIS:

• A 2018 report by Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) says that 25 per cent of the Aravalli range has been lost in Rajasthan since 1967-68.
• Reasons:
  • Unregulated mining: Even though the Supreme Court has banned mining in the area in 2002, Illegal mining is still prevalent. More than 31 hill ranges of the Aravallis in Rajasthan had vanished due to illegal quarrying.
  • Urbanisation: The rising demand for land has led to levelling of ridges for real estates. It has also led to encroachment of eco-sensitive areas and destruction of green cover.
  • Over exploitation: The mining and stone-crushing units in the area has led to fall in groundwater levels, which has further aids soil erosion and degradation.  
  • Unclear definition of forest: In the state laws of Haryana, there is no clarity on how much of the Aravalli range is included under the legal definition of “forest”. As a result, most of the Aravallis is classified as ‘non-productive wasteland’.
  • Political-mining nexus: Attempts to regulate mining in the region have been resisted by the mining mafia, which enjoys political support.

IMPACT OF DEGRADATION:

• Reduced green cover: The Aravalli have lost about 40 per cent of their total area over the last four decades. Unregulated quarrying has altered the geological structure of the area, resulted in a ‘negative relief’. The waste created from quarries is spread over vast areas, degrading the soil and turning the once forested slopes to a barren wasteland.
• Groundwater depletion: The depleting forest cover over the hills and increased soil erosion has significantly lowered the water table up to 20 m or more in several districts, leading to the drying up of lakes and water bodies. The depleting groundwater has also fuelled the growth of invasive species and frequent pest attacks.

• Desertification: 12 breaches in the Aravalli have opened up extending from Ajmer to Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan) and the Mahendragarh district in Haryana. Sand dunes from Thar are encroaching the National capital region through these breaches.
• Air Pollution: The Aravallis in Rajasthan and Haryana used to keep the velocity of wind in check. But now, the wind pattern is getting directed toward the plains, carrying a lot of sand and dust with them. This is a major reason for the poor air quality and frequent dust storms in the region.
• Decline in rainfall: The degradation in hills and changing land patterns has decreased the amount of seasonal rainfall and decreased the number of rainy days from 60 to 80 days to 18-30 days.
• Man-Animal conflict: The decline in green cover and rampant human activities in the region has increased instances of wild animals venturing into human habitations and creating chaos - often harming themselves or the people around them.

WAY FORWARD:

• Effective enforcement: The loss of these ranges can be countered to a great extend through the strict implementation of the various court orders that have banned indiscriminate mining and construction activities in the region.
• Reforestation: The Aravalli can be restored to their original state of vegetation through reforestation. This can be done on a pattern similar to the work that has been undertaken at the Aravalli Biodiversity Park. This area was earlier ravaged by mined pits of varying shapes and sizes. Almost 80 per cent of the land was barren. Over a time period of 11 years, efforts were made to restore the 690 acres to a forest ecosystem.
• The great green wall: It is an ambitious plan to create a 1,400km long and 5km wide green belt from Gujarat to the Delhi-Haryana border. Inspired by Africa’s ‘Great Green Wall’ project, India’s Green Wall seeks to address the rising rates of land degradation and the eastward expansion of the Thar desert.

• Collective action: Timely intervention by civil society, media and the government can ensure that the ecological sanctity of the Aravalli forests is conserved. For this to happen, the citizens and the government should be sensitised about the need to protect the mountains. Forums and workshops can be organised, both within the community and on the web, to share knowledge, address problems, and exchange solutions.
• Regional efforts: While a comprehensive policy, with proper planning and strict implementation, is a way forward, the state government can immediately bring the Tree Act (in effect in Delhi to protect the Aravalli Ridge) and declare Aravalli as ‘deemed forest’, to check its dilapidation.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. Despite its significant contributions to the Indian heartland, the Aravalli range is facing a serious ecological crisis. Examine. Suggest measures to protect the range?