Uniform Definition for the Aravallis
Aravalli Mining Regulation and the MPSM Mandate: The Aravalli Hills and Ranges stretch across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat and are one of the planet’s oldest fold-mountains. Static GK fact: The Aravallis are among the oldest geological features globally, formed during the Pre-Cambrian era.
In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court of India endorsed a uniform operational definition: an “Aravalli Hill” must be a landform in the designated districts with a minimum elevation of 100 metres above local relief; and when two or more such hills lie within 500 metres of each other, the area constitutes an “Aravalli Range”.
MPSM and Mining Moratorium
The court directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to prepare a comprehensive Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) through the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE). Until this plan is finalised, no new mining leases or renewals will be permitted across the Aravallis. Existing legal mining may continue under tighter compliance.
Key Elements of the MPSM
The MPSM is to include:
- Geo-referenced ecological mapping of the entire Aravalli belt.
- Identification of zones: permissible for sustainable mining; ecologically sensitive; conservation-critical; and restoration-priority where mining is strictly prohibited.
- Assessment of cumulative environmental impacts and the ecological carrying capacity of the region.
- Detailed post-mining restoration and rehabilitation strategy.
Significance for Conservation and Mining Policy
The ruling balances ecological protection with livelihood and resource considerations. The Aravallis act as a “green barrier” restraining desertification from the Thar Desert toward the Indo-Gangetic plains. Static GK tip: The Aravali range supports aquifer recharge and is a critical watershed area for rivers such as Banas, Luni, and Sahibi.
By mandating landscape-level planning rather than piecemeal approvals, the order aims to minimise illegal mining, ecological fragmentation and hydrological disruption.
Concerns and Implications
The elevation-based definition (100 metres threshold) has drawn criticism for possibly excluding lower but ecologically meaningful hill systems, risking their exposure to mining and degradation. The moratorium signals a significant pause in new resource exploitation across multiple states while the MPSM is developed. This may affect state mining revenues, local employment patterns and regulatory workloads.
Way Forward
States traversed by the Aravallis must coordinate with MoEF&CC and ICFRE, submit consistent data and adapt mining rules to the new regime. The mining sector needs to align operations with stricter environmental oversight, and restoration of degraded landscapes under the Aravalli Green Wall Project gains fresh impetus as a complementary conservation tool.
Static Usthadian Current Affairs Table
Aravalli Mining Regulation and the MPSM Mandate:
| Topic | Detail |
| Uniform definition adopted | Hills: ≥ 100 m above local relief; Range: hills within 500 m proximity |
| Moratorium on new leases | No new mining leases until MPSM is finalised |
| Agency for plan preparation | MoEF&CC via ICFRE |
| MPSM core components | Mapping, zoning, cumulative impact, restoration |
| Ecological role of Aravallis | Green barrier to desertification; aquifer recharge zone |
| Concern with definition | Exclusion of low-elevation hills may weaken protection |
| Existing mines | May continue under stricter compliance |
| Strategic relevance | Balances mining livelihoods with ecosystem protection |
