As long as the 21st-century man will continue to tamper with natural buffers like the Aravali hills, hotter summers (and warmer winters) will become a way of life. The Aravali bio network has been around for aeons. “They’re much more ancient than the Himalayas, and they’re uniquely important,” says Amina Shervani, a Gurgaon-based entrepreneur and land-rights activist. “We are fortunate to have something as the Aravallis next door.” These hills, she explains, created a system of lakes where run-off water gathered. And over many centuries, they have helped safeguard the surrounding region from the effects of freak meteorological events. Indeed, Delhi and the National Capital Region, came up because nature had blessed the area with a mountain range (the Aravallis) and a river (the Yamuna). But humankind’s depredations are taking their toll. “We’re acting as a speed-breaker, and nature isn’t able to regenerate herself,” Shervani laments. So why do the Aravalis matter? “They help recharge the groundwater and are our largest green lungs,” explains environmentalist Chetan Agarwal. The cracks and fissures in these hills help in constant recharge of groundwater. “If not for the Aravallis, the groundwater would have depleted at a faster rate.” The Aravalis also act as a filter for the air we breathe, and, because of their micro climatic role they help in keeping temperatures down. “And they are an important wildlife habitat,” Agarwal adds. Vinita Singh – trustee with ‘We the People’- feels development cannot come at the cost of the environment. “Yes, growth is important, but Gurgaon’s natural resources have to be protected,” said Singh . “We should start looking at the biosphere of Gurgaon as one space, a space that belongs to all of us, and the Aravallis are common to us all.” But coming in the way of conserving the mountain ecosystem is the regular, and almost surreptitious, transfer of land from public to private ownership. “We should keep the Aravalis as forested hills, and develop only the plains,” suggests Agarwal. There’s still time to salvage this millennia-old range. “A lot of reforestation can be done, and species saved in the process. There’s also a possibility of reclaiming part of the Aravallis,” Singh feels. “We’ve lost some areas due to mining activity, but a lot of the Aravalis still remains unaffected,” assures Agarwal. If only Indians were as passionate about the environment as they are about religion, the country’s natural resources wouldn’t be facing such a grave threat to their survival. “It is not Bharat Mata we should be worshiping, it is Mother Nature,” contends Shervani. “Nature is ours, and we must fight for her.” The Aravalis, Agarwal insists, are critical to the ecological well-being of Gurgaon. They’re also rich in flora and fauna. “The leopards are coming back here. And, if there’s a patch where you can’t cultivate, leave it to nature.”
2016, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.