Mining

Mining

Being rich in mineral resources, the Aravali hills have witnessed years of illegal mining, which have led to their fast erosion in Rajasthan and Haryana. This also poses a grave environmental concern as the ranges form a natural barrier against the spread of the Thar desert northwards into the Gangetic plains in the Gangetic basin and Gujarat.In May 2009, after months of media and public protests, along with several environmental groups, the Supreme Court banned mining in an area of 448 km² across Faridabad, Gurgaon and Mewat districts in Haryana, that was once supposed to be set aside for a national park. This comes after the earlier court judgment in 1994 that allowed limited mining on the basis of the sustainable development principle under strict guidelines. Violation of the guidelines by local miners led to the court ban ruling. However, there are many illegal mines in Rajasthan, some of them operating at the edges of the Sariska Tiger Reserve.