00:00These protesters from Jaipur are angry because the people you see in the video fear the survival of one of the world's oldest mountain ranges is facing an existential threat.
00:16The Arawali's stretching across Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi NCR are back in the spotlight after a recent Supreme Court decision triggered alarm bells among environmentalists.
00:26If the land is 100 meters above, it will be Arawali. And if 100 meters below 99 meters, it is not Arawali.
00:33So, what exactly changed? The Supreme Court has accepted a new legal definition of what qualifies as the Arawali hills.
00:40Under this rule, only landforms that rise at least 100 meters above the surrounding area will be officially recognized as Arawali's.
00:47On paper, that may sound scientific. In reality, it's anything but simple.
00:51According to Forest Survey of India data, barely 9% of the Arawali landscape actually meets this height threshold.
00:57That means over 90% of the region that has historically been treated as Arawali hills could suddenly lose legal protection.
01:10Why does this matter so much? Because the Arawali's are a living ecological shield.
01:14Environmental experts warn that weakening protection could worsen water scarcity, intensify air pollution in Delhi and accelerate ecological collapse in already fragile zones.
01:23Reports from Rajasthan have already flagged widespread illegal mining in parts of the Arawali's, including areas near Bilwara, detected through drone surveys.
01:32Critics say redefining the hills on paper could effectively legitimize future mining and construction in zones that were earlier protected.
01:39Political reactions have followed too, with former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashur Gellor publicly backing the Save Arawali campaign, calling the ruling an open invitation to ecological destruction.
01:48Meanwhile, the Environment Minister says the government is fully committed to saving the Arawali's and insists that mining has not been opened up.
01:54Only a scientific management plan has been ordered by the Supreme Court.
01:57He argues that most of the Arawali landscape remains protected, mining is completely banned in wildlife sanctuaries and forest zones, illegal mining will not be tolerated at all,
02:05and points out that mining is not allowed in Delhi anyway as nearly 90% of the Arawali range does not even fall within Delhi.
02:12At its core, this debate is about how India defines environmental protection.
02:17Should nature be protected only if it fits a strict technical definition or should ecological function matter more than elevation on a map?
02:25Because what's at stake here is not just an ancient mountain range, but the water we drink, the air we breathe and the climate resilience of North India itself.
02:33Tell us what you think.
02:35I'm Manisha Dikari.
02:37First things fast.
02:38No.
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