The Supreme Court (SC), in an order last month, settled on a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges, and paused the grant of fresh mining leases inside its areas spanning Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Significance of the Aravalli Range

• Geological and Ecological Importance: The Aravalli range is nearly two billion years old, making it India’s oldest mountain range. 
• Role in Preventing Desertification: It serves as an essential ecological barrier to prevent desertification of the Indo-Gangetic plains.
  • The mountains help arrest the eastward spread of the Thar Desert into Haryana, Rajasthan, and western Uttar Pradesh.
• Contribution to Climate and Biodiversity: The range stabilises climate, supports biodiversity, and aids in groundwater recharge.
• Extent and Hydrological Role: Stretching from Delhi to Gujarat across 650 km, the mountains support water-recharge systems and are the source of important rivers such as the Chambal, Sabarmati, and Luni.
• Mineral Wealth and Historical Mining: The Aravallis are rich in sandstone, limestone, marble, granite, and minerals such as lead, zinc, copper, gold, and tungsten. 
  • Historically mined for these resources, the range has faced excessive quarrying for stone and sand over the past four decades.
• Environmental Concerns: Excessive mining has contributed to deteriorating air quality and plummeting groundwater recharge. Some mining activities have also been illegal.
• International Commitments: The SC noted that India is bound by international commitments under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification to protect vulnerable ecosystems such as the Aravalli range.

Measures Taken Against Mining

• Past Regulatory Measures: Since the early 1990s, the Environment Ministry has laid down rules restricting mining to sanctioned projects, but these rules have been flagrantly violated.
• Supreme Court Interventions: In 2009, the SC imposed a blanket ban on mining in the Faridabad, Gurugram, and Mewat districts of Haryana.
• 2024 SC Directions: In May 2024, the SC prohibited the grant of fresh mining leases and their renewals in the Aravalli range and directed its Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to undertake a detailed examination.
• CEC Recommendations: The CEC proposed:
  • Scientific Mapping: Comprehensive, uniform mapping of the entire Aravalli range across all states.
  • Macro Environmental Impact Assessment: Region-wide Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of mining activities.
  • Ecological Safeguards: Absolute prohibition of mining in ecologically sensitive zones—protected habitats, water bodies, tiger corridors, key aquifer recharge areas, and the National Capital Region.
  • Industrial Regulation: Stringent regulation of stone-crushing units.
  • Mining Moratorium: No new mining leases or renewals until scientific mapping and impact assessments are completed.
• Aravalli ‘Green Wall’ project: In June 2025, the Centre launched the Aravalli ‘Green Wall’ project to expand green cover in a five-km buffer area around the Aravallis in 29 districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi. 
  • This initiative aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

Need for a Uniform Definition of Aravalli

• Inconsistent State Definitions: States used inconsistent criteria to identify Aravalli formations, with definitions differing even within expert groups such as the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
• Forest Survey of India (FSI) Definition (2010): FSI had defined the Aravalli hills as areas with:
  • Slope >3°
  • Foothill buffer of 100m
  • Inter-hill distance or valley width of 500m
  • Area enclosed by the above-defined hills from all sides
• Committee Formation: The SC constituted a committee to create a scientifically grounded nationwide definition.
• SC Ruling: Based on the committee report, the SC ruled that only hills above 100 metres would be considered part of the Aravalli range.
• Objections and Counterarguments: It was argued that the 100-metre criterion was too narrow and could expose smaller hills to mining, thereby affecting continuity and integrity. 
  • However, it is argued that the FSI-based definition, using slopes and buffers, would exclude large areas from the Aravalli Hills and Ranges, whereas the 100-metre criterion is more inclusive.

SC’s Other Directions

• Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM): The Court directed the preparation of a detailed Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) covering the entire Aravalli range. 
  • The plan must demarcate areas where mining must be absolutely prohibited, 
  • identify zones where limited and highly regulated mining may be permitted, 
  • map sensitive habitats and wildlife corridors, 
  • determine ecological carrying capacity, and articulate restoration and rehabilitation measures, etc.

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Reason for Not Imposing a Total Ban On Mining In Aravalli

• Risks of Total Ban: The SC explained that total bans often lead to illegal mining syndicates, violent sand mafias, and unregulated extraction.
• Calibrated Approach: The Court opted for a calibrated approach:
  • Existing legal mining continues under tight regulation.
  • New mining is paused until a scientifically driven plan is prepared.
  • Permanently sensitive areas remain off-limits.

Conclusion

By fixing a uniform Aravalli definition and pausing fresh mining, the Supreme Court balances ecological protection with regulated development, curbing illegal extraction while safeguarding desertification control, biodiversity, groundwater security, and international environmental commitments.

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