A War Veteran Is Fighting Mining To Save The Aravallis

While most war heroes return home to peace, Jairam Singh Tanwar returned to another battlefield. This time, the enemy was mining that was tearing through the Aravallis.

The Aravalli range is one of the oldest mountain systems on Earth. It prevents desertification, recharges groundwater, cools the land, and sustains villages across north-west India.

In Rajasthan’s Sikar district, illegal mining began disrupting this balance in 2011. Hills were blasted far beyond legal limits. Water tables fell. Soil weakened. Dust settled over farms and homes.

What was once common land—used for grazing, water recharge, and livelihoods—slowly turned into crusher zones and excavation pits.

Jairam began working with villagers to document what was happening. He tracked mining activity, verified permits, and studied records. What he found was clear: there were more crusher units than permitted, operating dangerously close to homes and hills.

Peaceful protests led to the shutdown of illegal plants within a 500–800 metre radius. But four months later, mining resumed. Hills were dug up to 80 feet deep, when the law allowed only 20. The fight to save the hills continues.

Today, nearly 90% of the Aravallis have lost legal protection. What begins here doesn’t end here. The impact stretches across Delhi and the entire NCR region.

Experts warn: once damaged, the Aravallis cannot be rebuilt within a human lifetime. Protecting them isn’t about stopping development. It’s about safeguarding water, climate, health, and livelihoods.

Even small ridges, just 10–30 metres high, act as natural barriers, slowing the advance of the Thar Desert. The forests cool nearby cities by 2–3°C during peak summers and, in winter, help filter polluted air and trap harmful particles.

If the Aravallis disappear, so will the natural shield protecting millions from desert, dust, and drought.