By Ruchika Arora

Abstract

The Aravalli hills are crucial for maintaining ecological equilibrium intact for urban and rural
regions of NCR. The quality of forest cover of The Aravalli hills in Delhi and Gurugram is
disappearing to meet the material interests of elites and the government. The recent urban
developments have exacerbated ecological conditions, causing a drastic shift in socio-ecological
balance. This essay brings forward new challenges and conservation politics emerging in
restoring the Aravalli hills.

Introduction

The Aravalli Mountain range is spread over the northern belt and covers major cities like Delhi,
Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. The Aravalli region sustains abundant vegetation and a diverse
array of flora and fauna species. Historically, the Aravalli has been significantly used for leisure
hunting, mineral extraction, beautification, and urban settlements, drastically changing the socio-
ecological arrangements in Delhi and adjacent areas of Delhi, i.e., Gurugram. The periods
following post-independence led to the rise in urban settlements to adjust to overpopulated cities
and migrants. Nature-urban politics changed the spatial environments of Aravalli due to
deforestation and land encroachment in the region. A new wave has emerged for the restoration
of nature through sanctuary parks and wildlife villages, which have further fragmented the
natural abode of wildlife species. This article explores urbanization as a critical factor
responsible for the drastic shift in the socio-ecological relationship of Aravalli region particularly
in Delhi and Gurugram.

Nature vs Urban

Aravalli Hills sustain the urban cities in NCR regions by fulfilling two pivotal roles. Firstly, they
recharge groundwater levels in water-deprived regions. Secondly, Aravalli serves as the green
lungs for the NCR regions, making the cities fit for survival. Aravalli stands as the oldest hill. If
this geographical entity is damaged, it will bring massive ecological devastation to northern
India. In this context, the Aravalli hills represent nature maintaining the equilibrium of the
ecosystem and supplying for urban development as well. The overconsumption of raw minerals

derived from the hills is exerting pressure on nature’s capabilities to facilitate the development of
the built – environment.

The wastelands of the Aravalli region in Delhi, known as bani and are utilized by locals for their
sustenance. Aravallis have been damaged for residential space or construction, which served
both locals’ sustenance and forest cover. The forest trees of Bani are considered sacred by locals
who adhere to various customs and cultures to express their gratitude to nature. Additionally,
locals share an interpersonal relationship with communal lands (wasteland) and possess
indigenous knowledge to preserve rich forests. The regions of rural Haryana covered the
majority of common lands, which have completely transformed into a new city by converting
nature into a city rather than co-existing with it. The spatial and ecological transformation has
diluted the indigenous practices and deprived them of the religious sanctity attached to forest
trees.

The urban landscape exists at the cost of social-ecological changes, which affluent social actors
defend. The forest land categorized as “wasteland” is disappearing with the rise of urban
planning and infrastructural developments. The systematic policing of hills has altered the
language of conservation by proposing to translate the Aravalli Forest into urban parks. Human
intervention into the organic progression of the ecosystem for the sake of recreation is a very
urban understanding of preservation. The cities are disconnected from the natural environment,
so Aravalli appears to exist outside the urban area. The current urbanization patterns in NCR
regions assert that “country and countryside are distinctive.”

Criticality of Aravalli Region

The shrinking forest cover from 1996 – 2018 in the Aravalli explains the gravity of problems that
have unfold in recent times followed by the future challenges due to uneven exploitation of nature.
The spread of urban cities subsumed communal land and a substantive area of wildlife habitation
and restricted their movements. The political and economic processes are responsible for laying
the foundations of urban cities, which produce a new set of social and physical environment
conditions.

The urban setting promotes material conditions dominated by the interests of the upper
class/caste. The vision of urbanization comes at the expense of visible ecological change, which
is merely seen as collateral damage for development. The transformation is felt through the
consequences faced by local inhabitants and wildlife species.

More than 10,000 acres of natural conservation zone in the Aravalli region of Delhi–Gurugram
have been damaged with a decline in ecological habitat for species. Despite labeling the specific
NCR Aravalli region as a “conservation zone,” the ecological condition has become much worse
and more fragile. The species in the region are pushed into residential spaces of industries,
human settlements, and agriculture. The frequency of human-wildlife interactions has led to
conflicts and fear among locals. The constant rise of human settlements inflates the danger of
remaining close to Aravalli and attacks by leopards and other wild animals. The increased
mortality rates due to human-leopard road incidents threaten the lives of humans and animals.
The social-ecological conditions have become weak with no action taken to prevent the
destruction in non-protected areas of Aravalli. The shrinking green cover results in low rain
chances, making the area drier and unfit for more prolonged survival, especially for animals.

The movement of wild animals in search of food has become limited within closed peripheries. The
study also proves that the mortality rates of animals are much higher during the dry season because
wild animals become more mobile, leading to crossing roads and highways in search of food.

Nature Restoration – for whose sake?

The legally sanctioned plans to conserve the fragile ecosystem, including flora and fauna, to
prevent further considerable ecological damage have had a minimal impact on neutralizing the
ecological state. Urban planners have overused the ecological capacity rather than seeking an
optimal and decisive plan before limitlessly seizing nature. The relentless fluctuations in weather
conditions such as relentless floods, pervasive air pollution and unfavorable living conditions
pose a serious threat to the fragile balance of the ecosystem. The conservation step seems
insufficient and ineffective in the urgency to renew the natural landscape and preserve the
remnants of the resources of the Aravalli hills.
The paucity of space for nature–building is the core problem. With its adequate spread, the
quality of the forest cover can build resilience for its natural environment. The state’s vision to
grow more trees in the Aravalli regions has focused on the canopy density of the forest rather
than the forest cover itself. The canopy density may resist the growing air pollution of the NCR
region, but such measures are chosen with the interests of the urban, not nature. In addition, the
selection of Prosopis juliflora for afforestation further erodes the ecological balance of native
trees and seems invasive. Growing native and non-native trees in the same ecological space
disturbs the nutrient cycle and weakens species’ resilience.

Urban planners have encouraged a complete makeover of the Aravalli Hills region into a forest
park, eco cafes, and tourist retreats to at least voluntarily minimize the chances of ecological
damage. These modern and alternative arrangements to captivate total control over nature and its
resources drive uneven socio-ecological changes. The enclosing of nature’s boundaries for
recreational activities undermines the interconnection of natural processes in their natural habitat.
The restoration policies by the state endanger the natural state of flora and fauna, which leaves
the ecosystem further fragmented and alienated.

In conclusion, the Aravalli hills in the NCR regions have grown precarious and fragile with the
rise of urbanization. The politicization of the natural environment deprives locals, biodiversity,
and wildlife of spatial belongingness to maintain the organic growth of the ecosystem. The
ecological and spatial transformation has occurred drastically geographically and in human-
nature interactions. Humans have become intolerant and individualistic towards nature’s state of
being to meet their material goals.

Author’s Bio

Ruchika Arora is a final year student of B.A Liberal Arts and Humanities in O.P. Jindal Global
University. She is doing a self-design major in Sociology-Anthropology and Literature. She is
interested in studying the lives of migrant workers, gender, and urban studies.

Image source: https://lirias.kuleuven.be/4092943?limo=0