PM to launch project to restore degraded land in Aravali range, Pg4

Key Highlights:

• PM Modi to launch a large-scale Aravali restoration project on June 5 (World Environment Day).

• Aravali range spans around 700 km across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.

• Project includes developing around 1,000 nurseries in 29 districts across the Aravalli belt.

• Sapling plantation drive to begin in South Delhi ridge area, part of the degraded Aravali landscape.

Detailed Insights:

• The Aravali range, one of the oldest fold mountain systems, has suffered severe degradation due to urbanization, illegal mining, and deforestation.

• The initiative aligns with India’s goal of restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

• Aravalis play a crucial ecological role in recharging groundwater, blocking desertification from the Thar Desert, and sustaining biodiversity.

• Delhi and surrounding NCR face rising dust storms, declining air quality, and falling water tables, partly due to the degradation of Aravallis.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Land Degradation: Reduction in land quality due to natural or anthropogenic factors such as erosion, deforestation, or pollution.
• Block mountains: These are formed by the vertical displacement of land along fault lines, creating uplifted land blocks separated by valleys or rift valleys.

Mains Mock Question:

Discuss the ecological importance of the Aravalli range and assess the potential of large-scale afforestation projects in reversing land degradation in India.