{"id":79197,"date":"2025-12-23T11:20:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T05:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=79197"},"modified":"2025-12-25T12:49:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T07:19:44","slug":"redrawing-the-aravallis-new-definition-exclusions-and-environmental-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/redrawing-the-aravallis-new-definition-exclusions-and-environmental-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Redrawing the Aravallis: New Definition, Exclusions, and Environmental Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Aravallis Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amid criticism over the government\u2019s new definition of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/aravalli-range-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Aravalli<\/b><\/a><b> Hills<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Environment Ministry said there was <\/span><b>no immediate ecological threat<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and that the range remains protected, with mining allowed in only <\/span><b>0.19%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of its total area.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the government has paused new mining leases pending further study, critics argue that official assurances do not address disputed court submissions or broader environmental threats beyond mining.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>New Aravalli Definition: What Changes and Why It Matters<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-79595\" src=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/current-affairs-wp-uploads\/2025\/12\/Measuring-Aravali-Hills.jpg\" alt=\"Measuring Aravali Hills\" width=\"1288\" height=\"774\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/current-affairs-wp-uploads\/2025\/12\/Measuring-Aravali-Hills.jpg 1288w, https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/current-affairs-wp-uploads\/2025\/12\/Measuring-Aravali-Hills-768x462.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1288px) 100vw, 1288px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A new definition of the Aravalli Hills, approved by the Supreme Court in November 2025, classifies only landforms rising 100 metres or more above local relief\u2014along with their slopes and adjoining areas\u2014as part of the range.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critics argue that using local profile instead of a standard baseline could exclude large stretches of the Aravallis from protection.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Environment Ministry has said that no new mining leases will be granted until a detailed study is completed under the court\u2019s order.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What Remains Protected in the Aravallis<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several parts of the Aravallis continue to enjoy strong legal protection, including tiger reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, eco-sensitive zones, notified wetlands, and compensatory afforestation plantations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These areas remain closed to mining or development unless explicitly permitted under wildlife or forest laws, regardless of whether they fall within the revised Aravalli definition.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Protection Is Not Always Permanent<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, such safeguards can be revised or diluted.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A recent attempt by the Centre and Rajasthan to redefine the boundaries of the Sariska tiger reserve\u2014which could have opened nearby areas to mining\u2014was halted only after intervention by the Supreme Court, highlighting the fragility of regulatory protection.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>How the New Benchmark Still Includes Some Areas<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new benchmark does not exclude all landforms below 100 metres.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any landform rising at least 100 metres above its local profile qualifies as part of the Aravalli Hills.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, if two such hills are within 500 metres, the intervening land\u2014regardless of its elevation\u2014will also be treated as part of the Aravalli range.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What the New Aravalli Definition Excludes<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new parameters exclude large areas earlier identified as Aravalli under the Forest Survey of India (FSI) 3-degree slope formula, which classifies land as Aravalli if it lies above a state\u2019s minimum elevation (115 m in Rajasthan) and has a slope of at least 3 degrees.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rajasthan\u2014home to nearly two-thirds of the Aravalli range\u2014faces the biggest exclusions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Entire Districts Dropped from the Aravalli List<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several districts earlier counted among the 34 Aravalli districts across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi are now excluded. Notably:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve; Aravalli\u2013Vindhya convergence),<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chittorgarh (UNESCO World Heritage fort on an Aravalli outcrop),<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nagaur (where FSI mapped 1,110 sq km as Aravalli),<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are missing from the updated list submitted to the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Overstated Extent and the Mining Claim<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the government cited mining as limited to 0.19% of a 1.44 lakh sq km Aravalli expanse, this figure effectively covers the entire landmass of the 34 listed districts, not the actual hill range.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the FSI method, the Aravallis span 40,483 sq km across 15 districts of Rajasthan\u2014about 33% of those districts\u2019 area.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Scale of Exclusion Under the 100-Metre Benchmark<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Applying the new 100-metre local relief definition would exclude 99.12%\u20141,17,527 of 1,18,575\u2014of the Aravalli hills (including slopes and surroundings) identified by the FSI in these 15 districts, dramatically shrinking the range\u2019s officially recognised footprint.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What the Centre Told the Supreme Court<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Environment Ministry informed the Supreme Court that the 100-metre definition would include a larger area of the Aravallis than the 3-degree slope formula used by the Forest Survey of India (FSI).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was despite the FSI flagging concerns that the new benchmark would exclude vast tracts earlier identified as Aravalli.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Argument Based on District Averages<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ministry argued that in 12 of the 34 Aravalli districts, the average slope is below 3 degrees\u2014implying these districts would be excluded under the FSI method.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critics note this averages plains with hills, understating the slopes of actual hilly areas and thereby weakening the comparison.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Local Profile as the Baseline<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ministry told the court that elevation would be measured from the local profile rather than a standardised reference point (such as Rajasthan\u2019s lowest elevation of 115 m used by the FSI).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using local profiles can exclude even 100-metre-high hills if surrounding terrain is already elevated (saddles), potentially shrinking the officially recognised Aravalli footprint despite claims to the contrary.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Inclusion vs Exclusion: The Core of the Aravalli Debate<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Limits of the Mining Argument<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government has highlighted that only a small fraction of the Aravallis would be legally open to mining.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, concerns persist about illegal mining, the future expansion of mining in areas excluded by the 100-metre definition, and the cumulative ecological impact of individual mining blocks on surrounding landscapes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Environmental Risks Beyond Mining<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mining is not the only threat.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By de-recognising large hilly tracts, especially in the Delhi NCR, where Aravalli ranges taper in height, the new definition could open vast areas to real estate and infrastructure development, posing serious environmental risks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Committee\u2019s Rationale: Avoiding \u2018Over-Inclusion\u2019<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ministry-led committee told the Supreme Court that not every hill is Aravalli and not every part of Aravalli is hilly, warning against \u201cinclusion errors\u201d if slope alone is used to define boundaries.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It argued for caution in wrongly categorising non-Aravalli land.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Critics\u2019 Concern: Exclusion Takes Priority<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While acknowledging non-hilly stretches, the submission places greater emphasis on preventing inclusion of extra areas rather than on the risk of excluding genuine Aravalli landscapes, raising concerns that environmental protection may be weakened in the process.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Source:<\/b> <strong><a style=\"font-size: inherit;\" href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/aravalli-benchmark-could-have-effects-beyond-mining-10433763\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Redrawing the Aravallis with a new 100-metre benchmark may exclude large hill areas, alter protections, and open land to mining and real estate development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":79206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[4361,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-79197","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-aravallis","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}