Aravalli Hills Protest and Mining Debate Explained

The Aravalli Hills — one of the world’s oldest mountain systems — have become the centre of a growing environmental and political storm.
Following a Supreme Court ruling on November 20, 2025 which accepted the Union Environment Ministry’s elevation-based definition of the Aravallis, concerns are mounting across north India. Under the new criterion, only landforms rising at least 100 metres above local relief, or clusters of such hills within 500 metres, will be officially recognised as part of the Aravalli range.

Environmental experts warn this could leave large parts of the ecologically critical landscape outside legal protection.
Scientists and conservationists say the Aravallis are not just a chain of hills but a living ecological system. The range acts as a massive groundwater recharge zone, feeds rivers such as the Chambal, Sabarmati and Luni, and supports forests, wildlife corridors and village commons across Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and the Delhi-NCR.
Experts argue that the new definition ignores ground realities. According to Professor Laxmikant Sharma of the Central University of Rajasthan, most Aravalli hills in Rajasthan rise only 30 to 80 metres, meaning nearly 90 per cent of the range could now fall outside protection.
Water conservationist and Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh has warned that if the definition is implemented, only 7 to 8 per cent of the Aravallis may survive. Environmental groups describe the move as a “death warrant” for the range.
Harjeet Singh of the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation told news agency PTI that what is being called “sustainable mining” on paper could translate on the ground into roads, blasting and pits cutting through wildlife corridors and Delhi-NCR’s last green buffer.

Meanwhile, protests are spreading across northern India. From Gurugram and Faridabad to Jaipur and Alwar, citizens, activists and tribal groups are mobilising under the banner of #SaveAravalli. Demonstrations, human chains and silent marches have highlighted concerns over dust storms, falling groundwater levels and worsening air quality.
In Delhi-NCR, groups like Aravalli Bachao warn that even so-called “low-lying” ridges are critical in blocking desert dust and pollution. Environmentalist Neelam Ahluwalia has cautioned that ecosystems cannot be measured with a tape rule, and that breaking continuity in the Aravallis could collapse the entire system.
Adding to concerns, a 2018 report by the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee found that nearly 25 per cent of Rajasthan’s Aravallis had already been destroyed, largely due to mining.
Meanwhile, the Centre has rejected reports that the new definition is meant to open the Aravallis to large-scale mining. On December 21, the government said a Supreme Court-approved framework has, in fact, placed a freeze on new mining leases until a comprehensive management plan is finalised. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav stated that the approved definition would bring more than 90 per cent of the Aravalli region under protected status.

Video explaining the Aravalli ecosystem :    • Aravalli Debate: Why the 100-Metre Rule Ha...  

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Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi. We publish news and analysis on issues that deal with sustainable development, which we scan through the eyes of science and environment.