Dear readers,

If the Aravallis stretching across hundreds of kilometres were to say something to us all, what would it be? To the experts on the committee which decided that they would be not be ‘hills’ at below 100 metres, to the judges of the Supreme Court who accepted this definition and then (thankfully) changed their mind, to the mining companies that see only profits in blasting the hills, to the scores of people who continue to protest, the Aravallis are sending out signals. Called the ‘green lungs’ of northwestern India, the Aravalli range straddling four states is an ecological system entirely its own – unique, irreplaceable, threatened by urbanisation and mining, and in need of protection. In this edition, Question of Cities puts the spotlight on the hills, their value beyond mineral deposits, their impacts on Delhi’s toxic air, and the voices that rose for the hills.  

The edition opens with a comprehensive visual fact sheet on the Aravallis that goes from its characteristics to timelines, court pronouncements, maps, voices, legends and folklore. If there’s anything you wanted to know about the Aravallis, especially in the light of the current debates about the hills and range can be called ‘hills’ if they are below 100 metres from the local ground level, then this fact sheet is your essential tool kit. From information and court battles to people’s voices and poetry, the fact sheet has it all.  

The need of the hour is to recognise Delhi’s rising air pollution from an integrated ecological perspective, writes multimedia journalist Ankita Dhar Karmakar. Indeed, various anti-pollution measures of the past years must continue – and be implemented more seriously – but the acute crisis demands more. Governments must understand that air follows no boundaries, that the Aravalli hills are centuries-old ecological systems which act as natural barriers to dust, that their sustenance is significant. Whether they rise 100 metres high or not, the hills influence air quality, recharge groundwater and help build climate resilience across Delhi-NCR.  

Sheer passion, deep commitment to their land and culture, and raw anger at the daylight robbery of the hills they have called home forever have driven scores of people to gather in small and large numbers across the Aravalli hills and range to register their protest. Some are new to the protest, others have resisted mining and other encroachments in the Aravallis for decades. QoC’s Nikeita Saraf speaks to a few of them – environmentalists, scientists and activists – who are unanimous that the new definition “is a mistake”.

People, including professional artists, have been using every medium at their disposal to draw attention to the Aravallis. While locals across Rajasthan and Haryana have taken to songs, poems, and art works to protect their beloved hills, activists in Delhi, Gurugram and Mumbai-Kalyan are using rap and good ol’ placards to make their concerns about the Aravallis more visible. Across places and people, the protest echoes are getting louder and the demands to protect the Aravallis stronger. QoC’s Nikeita Saraf and Ankita Dhar Karmakar speak to some of the campaigners. 

As the voices to save and protect the Aravallis grow louder, the destruction of the other hill and mountain ranges demand attention too. The Vindhyas, the Satpuras, the Himalayan range, the Western and the Eastern Ghats play an important role in protecting us from heat and dust. Their rich ecosystems support human health and provide food security. Team QoC provides an essential backgrounder on the Aravallis and a compendium of the ecological status of other hill ranges. 

In our regular section, News Digest, read about Madhav Gadgil, champion of the Western Ghats, who passed away on January 7; pollution tops citizens’ charter for Mumbai civic polls; what Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor is doing in his first few days.  

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Thank you

Smruti 

January 09, 2026