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GS Paper III – Environmental Pollution and Degradation GS Paper II – Government Policies and Interventions Context: Destruction of the hills has led to loss of vegetation and soil cover, upsetting the area’s biodiversity. |
ABOUT ARAVALLIS :
- Covers around 670 km and passes through Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Mount Abu.
- The natural history of the Aravalli Range dates back to a period when the Indian and Eurasian plates were separated by an ocean.
- Guru Shikhar at Mount Abu (1,722 m) is the highest point.
- Haldighati is one of the passes.
- Mostly dry deciduous forest; oldest folded mountain range in India.
- The Indian subcontinent’s geological history dates back to the Proterozoic epoch.
Importance of Aravalli’s :
- The fertile plains in the east and the sandy desert in the west are parted by the Aravallis. According to historical accounts, the Aravalli range functioned as a catchment area for rivers and plains, preventing the Thar desert from spreading further towards the Indo-Gangetic plains.
- The Aravalli is home to 300 native plant species, 120 bird species, and other rare animals like jackals and mongooses. It is also rich in biodiversity.
- Aravallis affect the climate of northwest India and other regions. It acts as a barrier during the monsoon, causing monsoon clouds to go eastward towards Shimla and Nainital and nourishing the sub-Himalayan rivers and the plains of northern India. It shields the productive alluvial river basins from the chilly Central Asian westerly winds during the winter.
- The Aravalli range provides the majority of Haryana’s forest cover, which is the sole saving grace for the state with the lowest total forest cover in India, at roughly 3.59%.
- This range serves as the “lungs” for the Delhi–National Capital Region (NCR) air, which is the most polluted in the world.
What is the Green Wall Project?
The ambitious plan aims to establish a green belt buffer spanning 1,400 km in length and 5 km in width, encompassing the states of Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Haryana, around the Aravali Mountain range.
75 water bodies will be restored in the first phase, including five waterbodies in each district of the Aravalli landscape.
It will encompass degraded land in the Haryana districts of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Bhiwani, Mahendergarh, and Rewari.
The “Great Green Wall” project in Africa, which was implemented in 2007 and stretches from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east, served as the model for the design.
Goals:
Addressing the escalating rates of land degradation and the eastward extension of the Thar desert will be the main goals of India’s Green Wall.
Through afforestation in the Aravali hill range, the green belt that is expected to run from Porbandar to Panipat will aid in the restoration of damaged land.
Additionally, it will serve as a barrier against dust from Pakistan’s and western India’s deserts.
Through the planting of native trees, which will aid in carbon sequestration, offer habitat for wildlife, and enhance water quality and quantity, it seeks to improve the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Aravalli range.
Sustainable development can be advanced by local communities’ participation in
agroforestry, afforestation, and water conservation initiatives.
It will also contribute to the creation of jobs and revenue, enhance food security, and offer social advantages.
Aravalli’s and Desertification :
1999 to 2019: 0.9% decline in forest cover
- Urbanisation: 4.5% in 1975 to 13.3% in 2019
- Mining areas expanded (1.8% in 1975 to 2.2% in 2019)
- Reduction in water bodies
- Low Enhanced Vegetation Index
- Spreading desert
- Extreme weather events
- Illegal Land Encroachments in Haryana
- Unregulated Tourism and Construction in Southern Rajasthan and Gujarat
What is Africa’s Great Green Wall (GGW)?
About: The African Union created the GGW initiative to improve millions of people’s lives in the Sahel and restore the continent’s damaged landscapes.
The project aims to plant trees in an 8,000 km long, 8 km wide ring across Africa.
The goal is to repair 100 million hectares of degraded land that are presently in existence.
By 2030, the project also hopes to create 10 million green employment and sequester 250 million tons of carbon.
Participating nations: To stop soil degradation and bring back native plant life to the landscape, eleven Sahel-Saharan nations—Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Senegal—have united.
Way Ahead :
A large portion of northwest India’s future will be defined by the geography, geology, forests, soils, and water of the Aravallis, all of which have moulded the region’s history.
If we destroy the oldest mountain range in the world by mining its rocks, excavating its soils, removing the trees that teeter on a thin layer of earth, or irresponsibly removing the ancient water systems, we run the risk of far more than we can even begin to comprehend.
It is commendable that the government is stepping up to save the Aravallis. But until the extensive illicit mining in the area is stopped, among other things, the initiative might not have the desired effect.
UPSC CSE (M) Practise Question: The time to act is now before the “natural green wall” of northwestern India crumbles under the weight of human greed and environmental neglect. Comment. (10 marks; 150 words)
UPSC CSE (M) PYQ (2020): The process of desertification does not have climate boundaries. Justify with examples.
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2 thoughts on “ARAVALLI GREEN WALL PROJECT”
Thanks for breaking this down into easy-to-understand terms.
Thanks for the comprehensive overview. Very helpful!
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