This story is from August 2, 2022

March of desertification: 8% of Haryana’s area turned arid by 2018-19, says report

Around 3.6 lakh hectares or 8.2% of the state’s total area had degraded to become more arid by 2018-19, according to an Isro report, which scientists attribute to illegal mining in the Aravalis.
March of desertification: 8% of Haryana’s area turned arid by 2018-19, says report
Scientists also explained why conserving the Aravalis is significant for Delhi-NCR
GURUGRAM: Around 3.6 lakh hectares or 8.2% of the state’s total area had degraded to become more arid by 2018-19, according to an Isro report, which scientists attribute to illegal mining in the Aravalis.
The Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas-2021, released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in June, said that this form of land degradation has been steady over the last two decades.

The 2018-19 figures show that desertification of Haryana’s geographical area increased by 0.57% from 2011-13. It rose by 0.55% — around 24,380 hectares – from 2003-05 to 2011-13. The report pointed to wind erosion as the key cause for this — 3.42% in 2018-19, 3.43% in 2011-13 and 3.35% in 2003-05.
Desertification occurs when fertile land turns into a desert by losing its flora and fauna. This can be caused by drought, mining, urbanisation. Impact: land will become uncultivated, it will not recharge groundwater and thus the region will face water scarcity. The report, based on satellite data, is released every seven years.
Experts believe desertification in the state is linked to the mining in the Aravalis – among the oldest mountains in the world – which is leading to a loss of green cover. Without vegetation, there are few obstacles to wind erosion that affects land fertility.
“Aravalis are ecologically sensitive, and act as a buffer between Rajasthan’s desert and Delhi. Mining over here also leads to depletion of groundwater and advancement of desertification, ultimately also contributing to climate change,” said Anjal Prakash, one of the lead authors of the recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change.

Scientists also explained why conserving the Aravalis is significant for Delhi-NCR.
“The Aravalis are old metamorphic rocks. In geological terms, the rocks weather and sand gets deposited at the foothills. Water seeps into the ground with the help of this porous sand, recharging groundwater. If we take away these rocks, and thereby the sand, it will directly impact the groundwater table and make the region dry,” said Dr. Ranjana Ray Chaudhuri, associate professor of hydrology at TERI.
Haryana has a total of 119 mines, of which 61 are lying vacant and 49 are operational. Most of the active mines are in Yamunanagar, Charkhi Dadri, Mahendergarh and Bhiwani. In Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh, mining stopped officially after the Supreme Court ordered a blanket ban in the three districts. The disastrous impact of mining on the Aravalis was observed in neighbouring Rajasthan, where 31 out of 128 hills in the Aravali region disappeared over a period of 50 years due to quarrying, according to findings of a Supreme Court-appointed committee in 2018. Though the ban is in place, state officials collected Rs 10 crore as penalties linked to illegal mining in the Aravalis of Gurgaon and Nuh.
Environmentalists say that mining in the northern and central Aravalis will only help expand the desert area as there won’t be any forests to break the route of dust storms originating from Rajasthan.
“The degradation of the Aravalis is leading to an opening up of the mountain area, as a result of which dust and sand from Rajasthan is entering into the region. Mining has helped desertification. Temperatures will also rise as green cover declines,” the professor added. When asked, state government officials admitted there were instances of illegal mining. “We have impounded several vehicles and also we are imposing penalties on violators,” said a mining officer.
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