Winter conversations in the national capital are all about air pollution and AQI. And this year, the ancient Aravalli mountain range has also entered the picture. Notably, in November, the Supreme Court, upon the recommendation of a committee led by the Union environment ministry accepted a new definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges, according to which any landform with a height of at least 100 metres would be considered a hill and a cluster of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other would be considered an Aravalli Range. Critics argued that this would open about 90% of the mountain range for mining.
While the Union ministry rushed fast to assert its resolve to protect the mountain range, conversations have also centered around how it would impact the air in Delhi NCR. While there have been concerns that it would push the national capital further towards poor air, some argued that with the barrier of the hills gone, the pollutants would get space to dissipate, thus no longer getting concentrated in Delhi NCR.
So what is the truth?
“Aravallis act as a natural barrier against the desert storm and dust coming from the Thar in western Rajasthan,” says Manoj Kumar N, analyst at Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), explaining how the range doesn’t aggravate air pollution but actually prevents the situation from worsening.
“There’s also another consequence: desertification,” comments Arindam Datta, senior fellow at The Energy and Research Institute (TERI). “It provides protection from desert,” he adds, explaining how desertification would increase if the Aravallis are flattened.
“Also, they have existed for billions of years. Why are we going after them?” comments Kumar.
There are further concerns that if mining activities increase, they would further worsen the air quality in the region. Not only mining, but it could also further lead to a rise in real estate projects and urban expansion.
Notably, the Aravalli range dates back around 2 billion years, making it the oldest fold-mountain range in India. It boasts of rich flora and fauna and spreads across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, parts of western Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
