Ban on New Mining Across Aravalli Range

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has implemented a complete ban on granting new mining leases across the entire Aravalli range. 

• It applies uniformly across all states—Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Gujarat—through which the range stretches.
• It aims to curb illegal mining, protect the ecosystem’s integrity, and shift towards conservation-led development.

Why Protecting the Aravallis is Critical?

• Barrier Against Desertification: It acts as a natural wall, slowing the spread of the Thar Desert into the fertile plains of the Gangetic basin and the National Capital Region.
• Water Security: The range’s geological structure recharges groundwater aquifers, providing a crucial water source for millions of people.
• Biodiversity Hotspot: It supports rich flora and fauna, including several endangered species.
• Ecosystem Services: It provides essential services like air purification, climate moderation, and soil conservation.
• The Threat: Decades of unchecked mining have led to severe deforestation, loss of wildlife habitat, depletion of water tables, and increased air pollution, threatening all these functions.

Plan for the Future

• The government has tasked the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) with creating a long-term, science-based conservation plan.
• Key Tasks for ICFRE:
  • Identify More “No-Go” Zones:   Use scientific parameters (ecology, geology, biodiversity) to identify additional areas where all mining should be permanently prohibited.
  • Create a Master Blueprint: Develop a “Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM)” for the entire region.
• The plan will assess cumulative environmental impacts of all past and present activities and evaluate the ecological carrying capacity of the region.
• Ensure Public Participation: The draft management plan will be made public for consultation.
  • Stakeholders—including local communities, environmental experts, and activists—can provide inputs before the plan is finalized.

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