Overview
- The study finds encroachment, deforestation, illegal mining and urban expansion have degraded groundwater recharge, biodiversity, air quality and climate regulation across the Aravallis.
- The region has lost about 20% of its water bodies, with many remaining ponds silted, eutrophic or seasonal, sharply limiting groundwater recharge capacity.
- Baseline mapping in four southern Gurugram villages shows 2014–2024 land-use shifts: agricultural land down ~429 hectares, forest cover down 114 hectares, built-up area up 323 hectares, and seven of 41 ponds gone.
- Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced no mining in Delhi, Nuh, Faridabad and Gurugram, and highlighted Aravalli Green Wall progress with 6.45 million hectares identified for restoration and greening initiated on roughly 2.7 million hectares; Haryana also declared about 97 sq km as Protected Forest from Naurangpur to Nuh.
- A previous Supreme Court move to narrow the Aravalli definition based on elevation—seen as exposing most of the landscape to mining—is under review following public pushback.