The Supreme Court recently approved a tighter technical definition of what counts as an “Aravalli Hills” and “Aravalli Range”, while also opening a pathway for controlled, “sustainable” mining after a new management plan is prepared.
At the same time, peer‑reviewed research and independent ecological assessments show that this “strengthened” definition risks leaving out ecologically crucial low‑rise ridges, foothills, and corridors that are vital for groundwater recharge and as a barrier against desertification.
What the Supreme Court order says
The Supreme Court, in the long‑running T.N. Godavarman forest case, formally adopted the Union Environment Ministry’s new operational definitions of “Aravalli Hills” and “Aravalli Range” for the purpose of regulating mining.
The Court records its key directions in simple terms: “We accept the recommendations made by the Committee with regard to the definition of Aravali Hills and Ranges given by MoEFCC.”
In short, the MoEFCC committee’s definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges is now the legal standard for mining decisions. No new mining leases can be issued until a “Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM)” for the entire Aravalli landscape is prepared by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE). Once that plan is ready, mining can continue in areas that the plan identifies as suitable for “sustainable mining.”
The Court also carves out a narrow exception for certain high‑priority minerals: “We further accept the recommendations with regard to the prohibition of mining in core‑inviolate areas with exception as carved out in paragraph 7.3.1 of the Committee’s Report.”
Now, the Centre has come up with the explanation of the very exception as applying to “atomic minerals… critical and strategic minerals… and minerals listed in the Seventh Schedule of the MMDR Act, given national security and economic imperatives.”
What the Centre claims
The Centre‘s recent explainer, titled “Aravalli Hills – Protecting Ecology and Ensuring Sustainable Development”, stresses that the new definitions are both “scientific” and “conservation centric”.
“These definitions are not just technical, but they are ecological safeguards. By clearly identifying what counts as an Aravalli Hill or Range, they ensure that all critical landforms, slopes, and connecting habitats remain under statutory protection, thereby preventing ecological degradation,” reads the explainer. It also provides the now-official definitions for Aravalli Hills and Aravalli Range.
Aravalli Hills: “Any landform located in the Aravalli districts, having an elevation of 100 metres or more from the local relief, shall be termed as Aravalli Hills… The entire landform lying within the area enclosed by such lowest contour, whether actual or extended notionally, together with the Hill, its supporting slopes and associated landforms irrespective of their gradient, shall be deemed to constitute part of the Aravalli Hills.”
Aravalli Range: “Two or more Aravalli Hills… located within the proximity of 500m from each other… forms Aravalli Range… The entire area of landforms falling between the lowest contour lines of these Hills… along with associated features such as Hills, Hillocks, supporting slopes, etc., shall also be included as part of Aravalli Range.”
Apart from the definitions, the Union government doubles down that there is no dilution of protection for the Aravalli Range. “It will, therefore, be wrong to conclude that mining is permitted in all landforms below 100 metre height.” It also rubbishes the recent public furore around the topic.
“Contrary to alarmist claims, there is no imminent threat to the Aravallis ecology. Ongoing afforestation, eco‑sensitive zone notifications, and strict monitoring of mining and urban activities ensure that the Aravallis continue to serve as a natural heritage and ecological shield for the nation.”
What research on the Aravalli says
Ecological extent far beyond 100‑metre landforms
Scientific and conservation literature consistently describe the Aravalli as a continuous ecological system—comprising ridges, hillocks, pediments, foothills, valleys, and intervening plains—that functions together as a desertification barrier, groundwater recharge zone, and biodiversity corridor.
The Aravalli Ecoregion Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, prepared for India’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan process, notes that the region’s natural ecosystems include “forest, grassland, agricultural and aquatic/wetland ecosystems,” including low‑lying ‘Birs’ (grasslands), ravines, and foothills that are ecologically integral even when not steep or tall. It emphasises that these landscapes form “critical wildlife habitat and corridor and a biodiversity hotspot with 400+ species of native trees, shrubs, grasses and herbs; 200+ native and migratory bird species, 100+ butterfly species, 20+ reptile species and 20+ mammal species including leopards, hyenas, jackals, neelgais, porcupines, mongoose, civet cats as well as other wildlife like insects, amphibians, etc.”
Another scientific study, this time on moths in the Rajasthan segment of the Aravallis, found “758 specimens of moths pertaining to 34 species, 26 genera belonging to 05 families, and 13 subfamilies,” with Shannon diversity index 3.3 and Simpson index 0.95, indicating high biodiversity even in degraded and low‑height forest patches. Moths are highlighted as “night pollinators” and “food for mammals and birds,” forming key food‑web components. These ecological functions occur across gentle slopes and lower rises, not only on peaks taller than 100 metres, it notes.
Barrier against desertification and dust storms
The Centre’s backgrounder document states in broad terms that the Aravallis “prevent desertification by maintaining the natural barrier against the Thar Desert,” and “safeguard groundwater recharge zones in foothills and valleys.” While research agrees on the barrier role, various studies have been raising alarms about its degradation, including the May 2025 action plan published by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Multiple studies reported that a 32 per cent drop in forest cover in the central Aravallis alone between 1975 and 2019 contributed to increased dust storm intensity and desert creep. Other reports pointed out that loess (wind‑blown desert dust) deposits near Mathura and Agra could be linked to Aravalli degradation.
Groundwater recharge and over‑extraction
Another claim by that Centre is that the new mapping “safeguards groundwater recharge zones in foothills and valleys,” and that the latest change “ensures that the ecology of the Aravallis remains safeguarded and free from imminent threat.”
However, groundwater studies in the Aravalli districts paint a much murkier picture. A 2022 peer‑reviewed paper on Udaipur District in the Aravalli Range found that “the dynamic GW reserves of the area are 637.42 mcm/annum, and the total groundwater draft is 639.67 mcm/annum,” concluding that “the stage of groundwater development is 100.67 per cent and categorised as over‑exploited.” The study notes that the principal aquifer—“quartzite, phyllite, gneisses, schist, and dolomitic marble”—is highly dependent on infiltration from hills, slopes and valley floors.
Govt claims and research
Centre’s 100m claim: “By defining Aravalli Hills as any landform rising 100 metres or more above local relief, along with their supporting slopes, the entire ecological unit is protected. This prevents piecemeal exploitation of slopes or foothills that are vital for soil stability, water recharge, and vegetation cover.”
What studies say: Ecological assessments and biodiversity plans show that many of the most important recharge zones, grazing commons, scrub forests, and wildlife corridors lie in low‑height undulating terrain, often below 100 metres local relief. Studies of Aravalli biodiversity (e.g., moth diversity, grassland flora, bird assemblages in south Nagaur and Delhi Ridge) find high species richness in such low‑rise landscapes.
Centre’s monitoring claim: “Contrary to alarmist claims, there is no imminent threat to the Aravallis ecology. Ongoing afforestation, eco‑sensitive zone notifications, and strict monitoring of mining and urban activities ensure that the Aravallis continue to serve as a natural heritage and ecological shield for the nation.”
What studies say: The Udaipur groundwater study classifies the district as “over‑exploited”, with use exceeding recharge. A DownToEarth policy analysis on Aravalli mining notes that “agricultural productivity… has declined across the Aravalli region… as a result of the unavailability of water due to excessive mining and because a layer of dust from stone‑crushers covers the crops.”
Centre’s anti-fragmentation claim: “By treating the Aravallis as a continuous geological ridge, the definition protects the entire landscape, not just isolated hills. This guards against fragmentation, which is one of the biggest ecological risks.”
What studies say: Geological literature, including the likes of Wikipedia, describes the Aravallis as “a continuous geological ridge extending from Gujarat to Delhi,” formed during Precambrian orogenies on an ancient cratonic basement. Ecologically, fragmentation emerges when intact ridges are broken up by mining pits, haul roads, and urbanisation, splitting habitats even if some parts of the ridge remain protected. What this means is that fragmentation is driven less by whether a landscape is named continuous and more by how much linear habitat is cut by activities like mining.