Is Delhi About to Be Swallowed by the Desert? The Truth Behind the "Save Aravalli" Fight
Category: Environment & Social Justice
Imagine a wall. Not a brick one, but a natural, green shield that has stood for over two billion years. It stretches from Gujarat, cuts through Rajasthan and Haryana, and ends right at the heart of Delhi. This is the Aravalli Mountain Range. For centuries, it has quietly done one job: stopping the Thar Desert from expanding and swallowing up the fertile lands of North India.
But right now, that wall is being dismantled—not by nature, but by a "definition."
If you’ve been seeing the hashtag #SaveAravalli trending or wondering why people are protesting on the streets of Gurgaon and Jaipur, here is the simple, unfiltered breakdown of what is happening to our country’s oldest mountains.
The "100-Meter" Scam
The core of this issue lies in a new notification that the government brought forward recently. On paper, it sounded boring and technical. They wanted to create a "uniform definition" for what counts as an Aravalli hill.
The government proposed that for a hill to be officially recognized (and thus protected from mining), it must be at least 100 meters high.
Sounds fair? Here is the catch: they aren't measuring from sea level (the global standard). They are measuring from the base of the hill. Since most of the land around the Aravallis is already elevated, a hill could be huge relative to sea level, but if it doesn't rise a full 100 meters sharply from the ground next to it, it’s no longer a "hill."
The result?
According to the Forest Survey of India, nearly 90% of the Aravalli hills in Rajasthan would lose their status. Overnight, protected forests would become just "land"—open for business.
Why Should You Care? (It’s Not Just About Trees)
You might think, "I don't live near a mountain, why does it matter?"
If the Aravallis go, the impact will be personal for millions of us:
The Desert Will Move In: The Aravallis act as a speed breaker for wind. They stop sand from the Thar desert from flying into the National Capital Region (NCR) and UP. Without them, we are looking at massive dust storms and fertile farms turning into sand dunes.
Water Crisis: These hills are crucial for groundwater recharge. They have natural cracks that soak up rain. With the hills flattened and covered in concrete, groundwater levels—which have already plummeted—will vanish.
The "Gas Chamber" Effect: We all know Delhi’s air pollution is bad. The Aravallis act as "green lungs," absorbing pollutants. Some media channels are now bizarrely claiming the hills trap pollution, but the reality is simple: fewer trees equals more dust and smoke in your lungs.
The Money Trail: Who Benefits?
If destroying these hills is suicidal for the environment, why do it? As Dhruv Rathee points out in his recent breakdown, the answer is the oldest one in the book: Greed.
There is massive money in mining silica, marble, and stone for construction. Then there is the real estate mafia. We are talking about luxury farmhouses, resorts, and wedding venues built on land that should be forest. Even when mining was banned by the Supreme Court, illegal mining continued under the nose of the administration—sometimes with tragic consequences, like the murder of a DSP in Haryana who tried to stop it.
We are seeing a classic case of "Chanda-Dhanda" (Donations for Business). Corporate giants and mining lobbies donate heavily to political parties, and in return, policies seem to be tweaked to favor their profits over public health.
The Propaganda War
What’s truly disturbing is the narrative shift. Recently, many influencers were reportedly approached to make videos defending the government's move, claiming it’s actually for "development" or "saving" the hills. It’s a coordinated attempt to gaslight the public.
When paid PR tries to tell you that cutting down a forest is good for the environment, you know something fishy is going on.
A Glimmer of Hope
The good news? Public pressure works.
Because thousands of ordinary citizens—students, lawyers, locals—took to the streets in protest, and because social media didn't let this issue die, the Supreme Court stepped in. As of late December, they have put a temporary stay on this new definition and formed an independent committee to look into it.
This isn't a total victory yet, but it’s a breather. It proves that when we stop scrolling and start speaking up, the system has to listen.
The Aravallis aren't just a pretty view for a weekend drive. They are the only thing standing between our cities and a literal desert. The fight to save them is a fight for the air we breathe and the water we drink.
So, the next time you see a post about Save Aravalli, share it. Talk about it. Because if that wall falls, we are the ones who will be buried under the sand.
#saveAravali #saveNature #IndianGovernment #supremeCourt