The Aravalli Range, stretching nearly 692 kilometres across western and northern India, is among the world’s oldest surviving mountain systems. Far more than a geological relic, it has shaped India’s civilisational geography, ecological stability and water security for millennia. Today, however, the range stands at a critical juncture, facing mounting pressure from mining, regulatory dilution and large-scale tourism projects, raising questions about the sustainability of short-term development choices.
Aravallis as the civilisational backbone of north-west India
Dating back nearly three billion years, the Aravallis are described in ancient texts as Pariyatra, forming the protective rampart of Brahmavarta — the Vedic heartland. The range supported a dense network of rivers such as the Saraswati, Drishadvati, Sahibi and Luni, which sustained early agrarian and urban cultures.
Archaeological evidence shows that the valleys of the Aravallis were integral to the Harappan world. Kalibangan, on the Saraswati banks, reveals the world’s earliest known ploughed field, while the Drishadvati basin houses Rakhigarhi, now confirmed to be larger than Mohenjo-daro. The hills also functioned as a global metallurgical hub, supplying copper and gold to early urban settlements.
The Aravallis as a living ecological system
Often described as the “green lung” of north-west India, the Aravallis perform ecological functions that extend far beyond their physical boundaries. The continuous ridge acts as a natural barrier against the eastward movement of sands from the Thar Desert, checking desertification in Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh.
In the summer monsoon months, the Aravallis help channel moisture into the plains, while in winter they shield the region from hot, dry westerly winds. For Delhi and Haryana — among India’s most water-stressed regions — the range is a crucial zone for groundwater recharge, sustaining streams, lakes and aquifers.
Air quality, biodiversity and regional stability
The hills and forest cover of the Aravallis act as a physical filter against dust storms and air pollution entering the National Capital Region. Despite decades of degradation, the range remains a biodiversity-rich zone with endemic species, medicinal plants and scrub forests adapted to arid and semi-arid conditions.
Equally important is its role as a wildlife corridor, enabling species movement between Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. Fragmentation of this corridor risks long-term genetic isolation and biodiversity loss.
The danger of the ‘100-metre rule’ and mining expansion
A major contemporary threat is the proposed allowance for diversion of hills below 100 metres in height, particularly for mining. This is especially dangerous because over 90 per cent of the Aravalli system lies below this threshold. Removing these “small” hills would, in effect, dismantle the ecological spine of the range.
Mining has already left visible scars. Broken hill slopes have turned recharge zones into stagnant pits collecting contaminated runoff. Post-mining rehabilitation norms, though mandatory, are rarely enforced, leaving behind ecological voids rather than restored landscapes.
Water contamination and public health concerns
Data from the Central Ground Water Board (2024–25) and health studies reveal alarming trends in the Aravalli mining belt. Groundwater shows elevated levels of lead and cadmium beyond permissible limits, along with fluoride concentrations high enough to cause neurological impairment, skeletal deformities and mottled teeth in children.
Nitrate levels have risen by nearly 60 per cent since 2017, approaching unsafe thresholds. These trends underline how ecological damage translates directly into public health crises.
Safari park proposals and ecological fragility
Another emerging risk is the proposal to convert parts of the Aravalli forest into a large open zoo or safari park. International experience from semi-arid regions in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Australia shows that such projects often trigger ecological collapse.
High-volume tourism infrastructure, artificial water bodies and concentration of animals place unsustainable pressure on fragile xeric ecosystems. In dry landscapes, damage to soil structure and cryptobiotic crusts accelerates desertification, turning large areas into ecological dead zones and increasing regional dust pollution.
Lessons from global ecological disasters
Global precedents serve as stark warnings. Mountain-top removal mining in the Appalachian region of the United States buried thousands of kilometres of streams, contaminated air and water, and left communities impoverished and unhealthy. Similar outcomes are documented from open-pit mining in the Andes and deforestation-linked mining in Brazil and Indonesia.
These cases demonstrate that prioritising short-term economic gains over ecological integrity often leads to irreversible environmental and social costs.
The missing economic valuation of the Aravallis
While India has initiated frameworks for valuing ecosystem services, the Aravallis still lack a regional natural-capital accounting approach. As a result, their contributions to water regulation, carbon storage, air purification, biodiversity and livelihoods remain largely invisible in policy calculations.
When ecological services are undervalued or ignored — especially in areas not legally classified as forest land — development projects appear financially attractive, skewing policy decisions against long-term sustainability.
What to note for Prelims?
- Location, extent and geological age of the Aravalli Range
- Role of the Aravallis in desertification control and groundwater recharge
- Key Harappan sites linked to the Aravalli system
- Environmental impacts of mining and tourism in semi-arid regions
What to note for Mains?
- Aravallis as an ecological barrier and climate regulator
- Link between environmental degradation and public health
- Critically examining the ‘100-metre rule’ and mining policies
- Need for natural-capital accounting in environmental governance
Saving the Aravallis is not only about preserving an ancient mountain system; it is about safeguarding water security, air quality, biodiversity and the socio-economic resilience of north-west India — lessons that global ecological failures make impossible to ignore.
