Aravali Green Wall Project

• 06 Mar 2024

Why in News?

Haryana government has finalised its proposal for the Aravali Green Wall project to revive degraded areas of the hills in seven districts of the state for creating a continuous ecological barrier along the range.

Key Points

• The project is part of the Union environment ministry’s Green Wall initiative.
  • In the first phase, 66 water bodies will be developed in the Aravallis of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Nuh, Rewari, Mahendergarh, Charkhi Dadri and Bhiwani.
• The project is inspired by African countries’ ‘Great Green Wall’ initiative and aims to restore green cover on the hills that stand as the only barrier blocking the expansion of desert-like conditions from Thar to north India, including Delhi-NCR.
  • The goal is to restore around 1.15 million hectares of the forests across four states — Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi by 2027.
• A 2022 report by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had found that around 8.2% of Haryana’s total area had degraded to become more arid over the years.
• The project emphasis is on soil conservation, erosion control, and improved water retention mechanisms that contribute significantly to stabilizing the water cycle, mitigating soil degradation and fortifying against the detrimental impacts of droughts and floods.
• According to ecologists and wildlife experts, Aravallis have several areas that are not notified as forest, but they are still home to a rich biodiversity of plants and wildlife. Plans need to be formed to conserve these green patches.

Great Green Wall of Africa

• It aims to restore Africa’s degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives in one of the world’s poorest regions, the Sahel.
• The African initiative is still only 15% complete.
• Once fully completed, the Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet – an 8,000 km natural wonder of the world stretching across the entire width of the continent.
• African countries during the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCCD) Conference of the Parties 14 (COP) sought global support in terms of finance to make the Wall a reality in the continent’s Sahel region by 2030.
  • Sahel is a semiarid region of western and north-central Africa extending from Senegal eastward to Sudan.
  • It forms a transitional zone between the arid Sahara (desert) to the north and the belt of humid savannas to the south.

Aravali Mountain Range

• The Aravallis is the oldest folded mountain on Earth.
• It spans over 800 km from Gujarat to Delhi (through Rajasthan and Haryana).
• The highest peak in the Aravalli Range is Guru Peak on Mount Abu.
• Impact on Climate:
  • The Aravallis have an impact upon the climate of northwest India and beyond.
  • During monsoons, the mountain range gently guides the monsoon clouds eastwards towards Shimla and Nainital, thus helping nurture the sub-Himalayan rivers and feeding the north Indian plains.
  • In the winter months, it protects the fertile alluvial river valleys (the para-Indus and Gangetic) from the assault of cold westerly winds from Central Asia.