Aravallis, air and environmental reckoning we face

Let’s discuss our current ‘smoggy present’ while paying homage to Benjamin.

The last week of 2025 was marked by intense struggle. People in Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Western Uttar Pradesh were up in arms on the issue of the Aravalli range. Reason? On 20 November, the Supreme Court passed a judgement that only the hills that are 100 metres or higher would be considered part of the Aravalli range. The order was based on the logic extended by the government that for administrative ease a clear definition for the ranges was needed to formulate developmental policies. However, those opposed to the judgement used adjectives like ‘death warrant’ for the Aravalli hills.

They insisted that the judgement threatens 90% of the Aravalli. Sensing trouble, environment minister Bhupender Yadav clarified that only 0.19% of the Aravalli range will be open to mining. He said care would be taken to conserve the entire mountain range and its wildlife. Still, concerns are rife. Finally on 24 December, the government banned any new mining lease in the Aravalli. We must remember that the Aravallis act as a bulwark against the expanding Thar desert, creating conducive conditions for lush greenery that we see in Northern India.

Still the area faces utter neglect.

Government data reveals that for the last many years people in North India have been denied the luxury of a single day of clear air. Conditions in New Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) are even worse. In the last one year GRAP 3 and GRAP 4 have been imposed for 40 days, that’s more than a month.

Delhi was built on the banks of Yamuna so that the perennial river would provide a constant stream of fresh water to its residents. But today its water is unfit to even bathe.

It’s no surprise that people in the Delhi-NCR region have been planning to escape the city. According to Savills India Research, price of new villas in Goa is between ₹7 crore and ₹10 crore, comparable with the price of a high-end apartment in South Delhi or South Mumbai. People are moving to these places for a relaxed pace of life. This is the reason for the 65% year-on-year rise in real estate prices in this sleepy, peaceful coastal province.

Goa isn’t alone. The situation is the same in places like Dehradun, Nainital and Haridwar. Peaceful and languid locales near every metro are facing the same pressures.

I would like to draw your attention to a research report published in Communications Earth and Environment. The report discusses the reasons for the decline and fall of our ancient Indus Valley Civilization. Our forefathers built a civilization six millennia before Christ, at a time when much of the world was still forested. People still marvel at the cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro that had roads intersecting at right angles, with drainage facilities and baked bricks created by our forefathers.

We also find highly developed agriculture and grain storage systems in Indus Valley Civilization.

If you still have doubts kindly visit Dholavira in Gujarat’s Kutch area. Here water was purified using a three-layered sand structure. The British used the same technique in many other cities across India. How come a civilization, so advanced and thoughtful just vanished? Theories ranging from foreign invaders, floods, earthquake, to droughts etc. as a cause of its demise have been propounded. But the new research says the complexities of urban life forced people to move to hamlets and villages. Cities around Indus started hollowing out. This was also one of the many reasons for the decline of the entire civilization.

Is the same process being repeated today?

Since Covid, exodus from the megapolis has gained momentum in India, Europe and Africa. News about Italian cities like Cammarata, Ollolai, Locana etc. are appearing that anyone can come and stay here for free. All they need to do is to take care of their houses.

Using Benjamin N. Cordozo’s lament, if we compare the past with what’s unfolding today, can we hear the rumblings of an impending crisis? We may be celebrating 21st century’s silver jubilee as 2025 draws to a close but to make the golden jubilee every bit as lustrous we need to urgently fix the deteriorating environment. This is the biggest challenge we will have to tackle in 2026.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.