Disappearance Of Aravalli Hills – Free PDF Download

•  It is approximately 800 km in length.

WHAT IS THE ISSUE?

• Mining activity was going on in 115.34-hectare area in Aravalli range in the state and many of them were also illegal.
• This has led to disappearance of 31 hills in the Aravalli area of Rajasthan.
• “31 hills or hillocks have disappeared. If hills will disappear in the country, what will happen? Have people become ‘Hanuman’ that they are running away with hills?,” Supreme Court said.

• 15-20% hills have vanished in the state of Rajasthan due to mining in Aravalli.
• Rajasthan was also earning a royalty of around Rs 5,000 crore from mining activities in Aravalli.
• But this has endangered the lives of lakhs of people in Delhi.
• Disappearance of hills could be one of reasons for rise in pollution level in the NCR.

IMPORTANCE OF ARAVALLI

• The Aravalli’s are ecologically sensitive zones for a diverse set of species.
• It forms the catchment of rivers that originate from the hills and irrigate the plains.
• It has been identified as an important groundwater recharge zone especially for towns like Gurgaon and Faridabad.
• It is home to around 300 native plant species & 120 bird species.
• It also prevent the desertification of the National Capital Region (NCR) and helps in maintain the pollution level in nearby areas.

IMPACT ON ARAVALLI RANGE DUE TO HUMAN ACTIVITY

• A study by Udaipur University found that the vegetation cover of the Aravalli has decreased from 80% at the beginning of the 20th century to just 7% in 2001.
•  Study, by the Wildlife Institute of India says, human settlement across the entire Aravalli range has increased by 158% in 26 years, from 247 sq km in 1980 to 638 sq km in 2016.
• At the same time, the area taken up by industries has gone up from nil to 46 sq km.

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