Nearly 8% of the Aravali hills have disappeared between 1975 and 2019, says a study of the ranges across four states. Researchers from the Central University ofRajasthan(CURaj) studied satellite images and land-use maps between 1975 and 2019 to come up with estimates. Their paper titled Assessment of Land-Use Dynamics of the Aravalli Range was published in the journal Science Earth Informatics this January.
Data analysed by researchers showed that 5772.7 sqkm (7.6%) of the Aravali ranges was flattened in the 44-year period they studied. Of this, nearly 5% (3,676 sqkm) of the hills was converted into barren land and another 776.8 sqkm (around 1%) into settlements. The projected loss by 2059 of total Aravali area is 16,360 sqkm, according to the report.
In this time period, the average deforestation rate was 0.57% annually, the studys lead researcher Laxmi Kant Sharma told TOI. If this continues, the landscape in swathes of north India will become arid and desertification will set in, according to the study.
change from 1975 to 2019, which shows that the Aravali range is passing through significant deterioration, where biodiversity loss is prominent These deteriorated hill gaps have opened a gateway for desertification in the northeast part of Rajasthan to Delhi, the study says.
The CURaj study says 1,852 sqkm of the Aravalis is currently being mined in nine areas Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rewari, Jaipur, Alwar and Ajmer. There are 4,150 mining leases, of which just 288 have environmental clearance, the study notes, citing data released by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in a report in 2017.