The Reason The Nation's Aravalli Hills Are at the Centre of Escalating Unrest.

Demonstrations have broken out across the northern part of the country after the nation's top court issued a new definition for the Aravalli hills – among the planet's most ancient geological formations stretching across the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi.

According to the fresh parameters, endorsed by the court following central government recommendations, an Aravalli hill is any geographical feature with a minimum elevation of 100 metres (328 ft) from the adjacent land. A cluster of such hills less than half a kilometre of each other, combined with the land between them, are classified as an Aravalli range.

Conservationists contend that defining Aravalli hills by height could leave many shorter, vegetation-clad but ecologically critical hills unprotected from mining and construction.

The federal government, however, says that the revised definition is intended to tighten controls and establish consistency and not dilute protections.

The Roots of the Unrest

This weekend, peaceful protests took place in cities such as Gurugram and Udaipur, organized by community members, farmers, green activists, and, in some cases, lawyers and political groups.

A founder member of a key environmental group remarked that the new definition threatens to compromise the critical role of the Aravalli range in "preventing desertification, replenishing aquifers and protecting livelihoods" in northwest India.

The shorter, vegetated hills perform a crucial function in preventing desertification, boosting water tables and supporting livelihoods as per experts.

"This mountain system must not be categorized solely by elevation, but by its environmental, physical and weather-related role," said an ecology advocate involved in the campaign to preserve the Aravallis.

He pointed out that, internationally, mountains and hill systems are classified by the functions they perform, not by arbitrary elevation thresholds.

"Any feature that is geologically part of the Aravalli system and plays a critical role in ecology or combating desertification must be acknowledged as a component of the system, regardless of its height."

Protesters are calling for that the government define Aravalli areas using research-based parameters, encompassing topography, biodiversity, animal corridors and climate resilience.

A campaigner cautioned that the court's new definition could encourage mining, construction and commercial activity, increasing the risk of ecological damage.

Opposition parties have ramped up their censure, cautioning that the new definition could cause serious ecological damage.

A senior politician declared that protecting the Aravallis is "fundamentally linked to Delhi's survival." Another leader described the range the state's "life-support system," stating that without it, "a vast region up to Delhi would have turned into a desert."

Official Position

India's federal government has attempted to minimize these apprehensions.

In a recent statement, it said the new definition is intended to bolster governance and bring uniformity, noting that a clear, unambiguous definition was required to regulate mining uniformly across states.

It added that the new definition covers the entire hill system – incorporating slopes, associated landforms, and intervening areas – explicitly protecting hill clusters and their connections.

The federal environment ministry said it is incorrect to assume that mining will be allowed on all landforms under 100 metres.

The government states areas inside the Aravalli hills or ranges are excluded from new mining leases, while existing ones can continue if they follow environmentally sound practices.

It noted that mining remains prohibited in core "protected" areas – reserved woodlands, environmentally fragile zones, and wetlands – except for certain critical, strategic, and atomic minerals allowed by law.

The Environment Minister indicated only about two percent of the vast Aravalli range could potentially be mined, and only after detailed studies and official approval.

Nevertheless, many of the protesting groups contend that protests will persist and that they are considering judicial avenues to challenge the court's new definition.