Villagers To Hold Day-Long Fast To Protest Top Court's Aravalli Ruling

A month after the Supreme Court's November 20 verdict controversially narrowed the definition of Aravalli hills protecting only those over 100 meters in elevation and potentially opening vast stretches to mining, the #SaveAravalli movement has exploded across social media, trending nationwide and rallying thousands from rural communities, environmentalists to politicians.

Hashtags like #SaveAravalli and #SaveAravallisSaveAQI are flooding platforms, with viral posts, profile picture changes (led by figures like former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot), and passionate calls to action, amplifying fears of irreversible ecological damage.

The momentum is spilling into real-world action: environmentalists and rural communities are intensifying their fight with a one-day symbolic fast (upvaas) set for December 21, beginning at 10 am. The protest zeroes in on Tosham Hill in Haryana's Bhiwani district, the northernmost outpost of this timeless range, urging rejection of the height-based rule that could expose lower hills to unchecked mining.

The two billion-year-old Aravalli range, stretching about 692 km through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, is northern India's ecological spine and lungs. It stands as a vital shield, halting sands and dust from the Thar Desert to prevent widespread desertification, recharging precious groundwater aquifers, and filtering air pollution that plagues the Delhi-NCR region. For communities in all 37 Aravalli districts, its forests provide essential fuelwood, fodder, medicinal herbs, grazing lands, and reliable water sources- lifelines for millions.

However, the Supreme Court's acceptance of a Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) committee recommendation defines "Aravalli Hills" strictly as landforms rising at least 100 meters above local relief, including slopes and adjacent areas. An internal Forest Survey of India (FSI) assessment reveals this excludes over 90 per cent of the range. In Rajasthan alone, only 1,048 out of 12,081 mapped hills (8.7 per cent) meet the threshold.

Neelam Ahluwalia, founding member of People for Aravalli, said, "At a time when courts in countries like Ecuador, Colombia, New Zealand, and Bangladesh have delivered landmark judgments recognising legal rights and personhood for 'nature and specific ecosystems' to enable their protection, we are deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court's decision that effectively sentences the Aravalli range to death. The Aravalli needs strict protection, not definitions that exclude most areas from legal safeguards."

Ahluwalia spoke during the 'Clean Air - My Right' conference organised by Delhi Youth Congress on December 17, where activists presented on the range's degradation due to mining, real estate and waste dumping.

The Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyaan, launched on December 11 (International Mountain Day), has mobilised broad support. Delegations have met MPs in Delhi, submitting memorandums urging parliamentary discussion.

Youth leader Virendra Mor from Rajasthan Kisan Mazdoor Noujawan Sangh recounted, "A delegation met senior leaders of the Indian National Congress. We also met Rajya Sabha MP Shri Raj Kumar Roat from the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP).  Raj Kumar Roat assured our team that his regional party will strengthen ground-level opposition to the Supreme Court's decision as this ruling adversely affects the rights and livelihoods of millions of tribal people. The cultural identity, livelihood, and survival of all tribal and rural communities depend directly on the health of the Aravalli hills, forests, and natural resources."

Lokesh Bhiwani, founder of Stand With Nature, added, "This ruling can cause irreversible damage to north-western India's only barrier against desertification, critical water recharge zones, pollution control hubs, wildlife habitats, and public health. We also demand that the government declare the entire 692-km Aravalli range as a 'significant ecological area'. All types of mining must be stopped immediately."

While the court paused new mining leases pending a sustainable management plan, activists warn the narrowed definition risks irreversible harm to one of the world's oldest mountain ranges.