The committee set up to study the Aravallis has informed the Supreme Court that a single terrain or height-based criterion cannot define the mountain range. The committee seeks time till February to complete the exercise.
A committee, formed in May to define the Aravalli mountain range, has informed the Supreme Court that it will reconsider the definition due to concerns about unregulated mining and severe environmental degradation. The original definition recognised only hills with an elevation of 100 metres or more as part of the Aravallis, but the committee finds this approach insufficient. Instead, they plan to consider information on geography, ecology, geology, water systems, social and economic conditions, and stakeholder views before submitting their final recommendations. The committee also warned that a narrow definition could leave connected hills, forests, aquifers, and other environmentally important areas unprotected, potentially harming the ecology of the northern plains and increasing the National Capital Region’s vulnerability to dust storms.
Source:
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