Date: December 18, 2025
Subject: Impact Analysis of the Supreme Court's "100-Meter Definition" on the Aravalli Mountain Range
1. Summary
This report analyzes the critical threat posed to the Aravalli Mountain Range following a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of India in November 2025. By accepting the Central Empowered Committee's (CEC) recommendation to define an "Aravalli Hill" solely as a landform exceeding 100 meters in height from the surrounding ground level, the judiciary has effectively stripped legal protection from over 90% of the mountain range. This decision opens vast tracts of ecologically sensitive land to mining and urbanization, threatening to accelerate desertification in North India, deplete groundwater reserves, and worsen air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region.
2. Introduction: The Aravalli Legacy
The Aravalli Range, spanning approximately 692 km across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi, is one of the oldest fold mountain systems in the world (3.2–3.5 billion years old). It serves as a vital ecological barrier, preventing the eastward expansion of the Thar Desert into the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains. Historically, it has regulated the climate of North India, blocked hot westerly winds, recharged groundwater, and acted as the "green lungs" for the National Capital Region (NCR).
3. The Policy Shift: The "100-Meter Rule"
The core crisis stems from a legal shift in how the Aravalli hills are defined.
Previous Standard: Historically, forestry laws (referencing the T.N. Godavarman judgment of 1996) protected lands based on their dictionary definition of "forest" or physical characteristics. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) previously utilized a metric where hills of 20 meters in height with a 3-degree slope were recognized.
New Ruling (Nov 2025): The Supreme Court accepted a new definition proposing that only elevations of 100 meters or more above the adjacent ground level constitute an "Aravalli Hill."
The Flaw: Geographic experts argue this definition is scientifically unsound. Hills are typically measured from Mean Sea Level (MSL), not local ground level. By raising the threshold to 100 meters above surrounding terrain, low-lying ridges, plateaus, and foothills are excluded from protection.
4. Quantifiable Impact and Exclusion
Data presented suggests a catastrophic reduction in protected area status:
Total Exclusion: Approximately 90% to 91.3% of the Aravalli hills fall below the 100-meter threshold and will lose protected status.
Rajasthan Specifics: Out of 12,081 identified hills/hillocks in Rajasthan, only 1,048 (approx. 8.7%) meet the new criteria. The remaining ~11,000 hills are now vulnerable to commercial exploitation.
Area Lost: Millions of hectares previously considered "deemed forest" or "gair mumkin pahar" (uncultivable hill) are now open for mining and real estate development.
5. Ecological Consequences
A. Desertification and Climate Change
The Aravalli range acts as a shield against the Thar Desert. With the removal of smaller hills (the green shield):
Sandstorms: Increased frequency and intensity of dust storms migrating from the west into Delhi, Haryana, and Western UP.
Heatwaves: Without the vegetative cooling and wind-blocking effect, the region will face higher ambient temperatures.
B. Groundwater Crisis
The hills function as a critical aquifer recharge zone.
Current Status: Due to ongoing illegal mining, water tables in regions like Alwar and Nuh have already plummeted from 10 meters (two decades ago) to over 150 meters deep.
Future Projection: Removal of hill surfaces destroys the natural catchment area, leading to acute water scarcity in an already water-stressed region.
C. Air Quality Deterioration
Delhi-NCR, already suffering from hazardous AQI levels, relies on the Aravalli forests to act as a carbon sink and particulate matter filter. The flattening of hills removes a physical barrier against pollutants and dust, exacerbating respiratory health crises in North India.
6. The Driver: Economics over Ecology
The report identifies powerful economic motivators driving this redefinition:
Mining Potential: The region is known as "Copper City" and contains massive deposits of zinc, lead, and marble (90% of India's marble comes from here).
Construction Material: There is immense demand for stone aggregate (rory/gravel) for construction in the rapidly expanding NCR cities (Gurgaon, Noida, etc.).
Illegal Activity: Despite bans, illegal mining persists. Data from 2023 indicates that in the Nuh region alone, over 8 crore metric tonnes of minerals vanished illegally.
Institutional Failure: The report highlights a contradiction where the Environment Ministry, tasked with conservation, proposed the restrictive definition that facilitates exploitation.
7. Conclusion and Assessment
The legal redefinition of the Aravalli Hills represents a shift from "conservation by default" to "exploitation by design." While the rationale may be to streamline administrative ambiguity, the ecological cost is disproportionate. The erasure of the "lower" Aravallis destroys the contiguous ecosystem necessary to hold back the desert.
Assessment: The move appears to retroactively legitimize illegal mining and facilitate future resource extraction under the guise of legal clarity. Without immediate legislative or judicial review, this decision risks turning the fertile plains of North India into a desert corridor within the coming decades, creating a man-made environmental disaster of irreversible proportions.
.png)
