National Human Rights Commission sends notices to government over reported deforestation in Aravalis

National Human Rights Commission, on Wednesday, sent notices to central and state governments of Rajasthan and Haryana over reported massive deforestation in Aravali Hills, ANI reported. According to reports, an increase in deforestation has led to the loss of vegetative cover over the Aravalis causing dust storm and health concerns in and around the national capital. 

Environmentalists and experts have long drawn attention to the ever-degrading Aravallis in order to make sense of the alarming frequency of dust and sandstorm episodes in north India. Reports suggest a remarkable increase in the intensity and frequency of such storms in the past few decades. 

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), in its study on Economics of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought (DLDD) in India, explains how land degradation cost around 2.5 per cent of India's GDP in 2014/15. 

The lush range of Aravalli sprawls from Delhi to Gujarat, protecting the national capital and neighbouring areas from harsh climatic battering. However, the rapid degradation and denudation of the green cover of the mountainous range pose a severe threat to the environment.