BIGSTORY | Monday, February 2, 2009 | Email | Print | 
Don’t make the Aravallis a molehill
ASRP Mukesh | New Delhi
What you saw in Rajasthan miniature paintings used to be true. There were indeed times when on a rain-washed morning, peacocks looked up to the clouds and a great barned owl hunted for game amongst the thick, thorny shrubs. The bright rusty ground with stripes of mica beneath their feet shimmered like a thin, white waterfall on the boulders rising from the wet earth. Once serene and tranquil, the entire Aravalli played host to many such magical moments.
And as nature’s guardian, these hills sustained life, blocking sands of the Thar from parching the fertile North Indian plains. It has been our rainmaker, especially, for Delhi and NCR.
Not anymore. For, Aravalli is under extreme stress courtesy rampant illegal constructions and encroachments.
The ridge, iconic to any metro’s greenery, has been reduced to four zones, South-Central, Central, North and South. “But even these are under severe assault due to debris lying in many parts, encroachments and illegal constructions. In fact, several slum dwellers are now reportedly suffering from deadly diseases due to pollution,” says MC Mehta, environment advocate and activist, who first raised the issue of Aravalli in mid-90s.
Beginning with North and Central Ridge, the Aravalli around the Capital is largely affected by encroachments by large government institutions like the Army, broadcasting stations and even schools. The Ridge Management Board (RMB), a seven-member non-statutory body consisting of representatives from the government, DDA and non-government organisations, is supposed to protect the ridge. But it has been unable to deliver, failing to prevent the construction frenzy.
Duno Roy of Hazards Centre, a NGO working for urban issues such as planning, slum demolitions and pollution, alleges that a powerful commercial lobby has been able to get authorities bend rules. “For instance, the proximity of the South-Central Ridge to the Delhi airport has made it doubly attractive for this lobby, which is planning to create a large commercial complex for multinational corporations and invite foreign investment.”
The South-Central Ridge, spread over 626 hectares, has thus far functioned as a catchment area, declared indispensable by expert panels and environmentalists. A report prepared by the Central Groundwater Authority few years back cautioned in no uncertain terms: “Development activities in the areas extending from Mehrauli to Masudpur and north to Vasant Vihar is adversely affecting the groundwater regime.”
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