Aravalli's Fate: New Rule Threatens Ancient Hills, Sparks Major Controversy

• The Aravalli mountain range, 2.5 billion years old, is crucial for North India's environment, water, and climate, once acting as a 'Green Lung' and preventing Thar Desert expansion.
• Decades of mining, encroachment, and development have severely damaged Aravalli; 30-40% is degraded, with 91% of hills now under 100 meters and 31 hills vanished in Alwar.
• A Supreme Court decision in November 2025 defines Aravalli only as hills 100 meters or more in height, raising fears for the protection of approximately 1.18 lakh smaller hills.
• Environmentalists and experts warn this new definition, similar to one rejected by the SC in 2010, could exclude 91% of Aravalli hills from crucial environmental protection.
• The Congress party alleges that a previously rejected and environmentally dangerous definition is being re-legitimized, questioning its current validity.

Why It Matters: New Aravalli definition based on height sparks major environmental concern, potentially leaving many hills unprotected.