Greenwashed – Aravalis to Goa, rules are being tweaked to allow ecologically dangerous projects and mining

Source: The post is based on the article “Greenwashed – Aravalis to Goa, rules are being tweaked to allow ecologically dangerous projects and mining” published in The Times of India on 19th June 2023

Syllabus: GS 3 – Environment and Bio-diversity Conservation.

Relevance: About protecting Indian hill ranges.

News: A recent study found that India might lose 22% of Aravallis, India’s oldest mountain range, in just 40 years, from 2019 to 2059.

What are the findings of the study on Aravali hillocks?

Aravalis acts as a natural boundary to the Thar Desert and is a natural water recharge facility. But, a flattening Aravali will speed up the desertification of the entire area.

What are the causes for flattening Aravalis?

These include a) Indiscriminate mining, b) Environmental laws are routinely diluted by a slew of exemptions, lacunae and reconversions from forest to non-forest land, c) Intrusions from developers, urban city departments and state governments into protected eco-zones, and d) Allocation of Aravali lands for housing projects of the government.

Why the issue is not persistent in Aravalis alone?

These are common causes. Forests, lakes and fields from Uttarakhand to Rajasthan, Haryana to Goa and the North East are being depleted by developers to build everything from yoga resorts to film studios.

For example, the recent Goa government regulation freed up 6 crore square metres of Goa’s eco-sensitive zone land for sale. In Uttarakhand, policies were altered and rules amended to make mining easier.

The focus on infrastructure development by depleting eco-sensitive zones is myopic. Deforestation and melting glaciers have made hill states vulnerable to mudslides and landslides. So, irreversible” damage to ecology must stop as requested by the Supreme Court.

When the government can ban 10 year old diesel cars to protect the environment, then it can do much more to protect a hill range and a seaside ecological zone.