India (UNA) : 
We often talk about progress, but have we ever considered its true cost? For North India, the Aravali Hills are not just a pile of stones; they are a natural shield that has protected us from desert dust and extreme heat for 2 billion years. But the bitter truth today is that this shield itself is breaking. Think about it can a mountain ever just disappear? In the Alwar district of Rajasthan, this impossible feat has become a reality. Since the 1967-68 survey, 31 hills have been completely wiped out. Greed for mining and construction has leveled these hills to the ground. As a result, sand from the Thar Desert is now drifting toward Delhi and Haryana through 12 different gaps totaling 93 km. The destruction of the Aravalis is not limited to maps; we can feel it in our weather. Data shows that while there were 101 monsoon days in 1973, they shrunk to just 25 days by 2009. If the Aravalis are lost, climate scientists warn that Delhi-NCR could become a "semi-desert" within the next few decades. Illegal mining has hollowed out the Aravalis from within. According to reports, 98.87 lakh metric tonnes of minerals were illegally mined across five districts of Rajasthan between 2011 and 2017. The audacity of these groups can be gauged by the fact that in Nuh (Haryana), DSP Surender Singh Bishnoi, who went to stop illegal mining, was crushed to death by a dumper. It is not just the hills; due to mining, our groundwater and beautiful lakes like Badkhal Lake have now completely dried up. A disturbing truth emerges regarding how forest lands were grabbed on the cheap. Large companies like Patanjali and real estate players invested in lands that were not recognized as "forests" by exploiting legal loopholes. In one such deal, land bought for ₹2.66 crore was sold for ₹12.38 crore—a staggering 365% profit. But all is not lost. Recently (December 24, 2025), the Ministry of Environment took a major step following Supreme Court directions. A complete ban on new mining leases has been imposed across the entire Aravali range. The Environment Minister claims that under the new legal framework, over 90% of the Aravali region will fall under the "protected area". The Aravalis are our ancient heritage and our future. These hills provide us with clean air to breathe and water to drink. If we do not save them today, future generations will never forgive us. "Save Aravali"