The Aravallis are the green lungs of northern India. They are a defensive wall that protects the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains from desertification – from an eastward expansion of the Thar desert.

But over the years, commercial exploitation has put this fragile ecosystem under immense strain. On November 20th, the Supreme Court ruled that only Aravalli hills above 100 metres tall would enjoy environmental protection. This created a major public outcry, with people pointing out that in Rajasthan’s Aravallis alone, barely 1,048 hills out of 12,081, would qualify. In other words, most of the Aravallis would be exempted from any environmental protection.

On December 28, the Supreme Court stayed its own order. It has also mooted the constitution of a new panel of experts to study the issue more closely, especially the prospects for what it calls “sustainable mining”.

Is sustainable mining of the Aravallis possible? And how can we ensure that they receive at least the bare minimum of environmental protection?

Guest: Kanchi Kohli, well known expert in environment and forest policy

Host: G. Sampath

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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