Haryana kicks off first phase of Aravalli “Green Wall” project — 24,990 ha to be restored across five districts including Gurgaon

1. What is the Aravalli Green Wall initiative?

The Aravalli Green Wall is a restoration-driven programme modelled on the concept of Africa’s Great Green Wall, aiming to regenerate degraded landscapes across the Aravalli hill range stretching from Gujarat through Rajasthan to Haryana and Delhi. The objective is to stabilise soils, rebuild vegetative cover, buffer ecological pressure, arrest land-degradation and enhance local biodiversity. In Haryana’s stretch of the Aravallis, the project focuses on the outer belt of the National Capital Region (NCR) — especially districts such as Gurgaon, Faridabad, Nuh, Rewari and Mahendragarh — where peri-urban growth, mining, and infrastructural sprawl have weakened the ecological integrity of the hills.

The scheme, as announced, enters a first-phase roll-out covering 24,990 ha (≈249.9 km²). The process begins with GIS-mapping of degraded-forest areas, between recorded forest area (RFA) and scrub terrain. For example, authorities flagged 33,706 ha of mapped RFA across the five districts; of this, 24,990 ha have been designated for restoration in the initial phase.

Key interventions include soil-and-water conservation practices (bench-terracing, check-dams, percolation ponds), followed by plantation of native species (15-20 per site-type), agro-forestry pockets, urban green belt nodes and protections against illegal mining and encroachment. The project is to be formally launched on 5 June (World Environment Day) with the participation of the Chief Minister and other dignitaries.

2. Why now? The urgency behind the restoration

Several drivers have converged to catalyse this action in Haryana’s section of the Aravallis. One element is the documented desertification threat: a 2022 survey by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) found that around 8.2 % of Haryana’s land (~360,000 ha) has become more arid, especially in the south-Haryana districts adjacent to the Aravalli ridge.

Additionally, urban expansion around Gurgaon and Delhi is pressing into the hills, increasing heat-island effects, surface-run-off, soil erosion and deforestation. For the rapidly growing NCR city of Gurgaon, with its high-rise residential-commercial corridors, the environmental cost of fringe sprawl has become visible—dust storms, degraded air quality, drain-clogging, and receding tree-cover. By creating a continuous green belt along the hills, the State aims to buffer these impacts.

Experts emphasise that forests provide ecosystem services—carbon sequestration, groundwater recharge, cooling, flood-mitigation—which are increasingly vital as climate-risks mount. The restoration of nearly 25,000 ha is thus both ecological (restoring the hills) and socio-economic (livelihoods, tourism, ecosystem-value).

3. The scope in Gurgaon and surrounding districts

For the Gurgaon district specifically, the project is particularly significant. While the headlines highlight 24,990 ha across five districts, Gurgaon’s share is among the largest given its rapid land-use change and peri-urban pressure. The district’s forest-department officials estimate that of the total, ~9,839 ha fall in Nuh, followed by portions of Gurgaon and Rewari; in Gurgaon’s case the focus is on degraded scrub, abandoned mining pits, and fringe-urban green belts near Manesar, Pataudi and IFFCO Chowk.

In practical terms, the restoration work will involve planting sectors near the Dwarka-Expressway corridor, setting up belt plantations along the southern margin of Gurgaon, and converting abandoned mining sites into community forests or ecological parks. Additionally, the plan includes creation of agro-forestry belts around villages to provide both green cover and livelihood benefit through sapling sales, fuelwood, non-timber forest produce (NTFP) and eco-tourism.

4. Financing, institutional architecture and monitoring

While detailed budget figures for Haryana’s portion of the Aravalli Green Wall have not yet been published in full, the state government has signalled multi-department coordination. The forest department (Haryana Forests & Wildlife), the revenue department, mining regulation authorities, urban local bodies and the NCR Planning Board will be co-opted. A central-state component is also expected since the Aravallis span multiple states.

Monitoring will be digital: GIS-based dashboards will track plantation survival rates, canopy-cover changes, illegal mining alerts, and community participation metrics. According to the briefing, smart-phones with custom tagging apps will allow village-level participation—villagers can mark plantings, capture GPS-tagged photos, report theft or grazing violations. For example, the first 853 ha pilot in six districts (Gurgaon, Faridabad, Nuh, Palwal, Mahendragarh, Rewari) includes 180,000 saplings and a “green-belt” corridor radius of ~500 m around major habitats.

5. Environmental benefits: more than just green cover

The restoration is expected to deliver multiple environmental dividends:

• Carbon-sink enhancement: Restored vegetation will increase biomass and sequester an estimated additional ~0.2-0.3 million tonnes of CO₂ annually in the restoration zone by 2030.
• Soil-erosion control & flood mitigation: The slopes of the Aravalli are critical for the drainage system that feeds into the Najafgarh drainage span and catchments around Gurgaon—so stabilisation helps prevent flash floods and silt-clogging during monsoon events.
• Ground-water recharge: Vegetation, check-dams and improved infiltration will strengthen shallow aquifers, a major benefit in Gurgaon’s dry-season water-stress environment.
• Urban-heat reduction: With urban sprawl expanding, peri-urban green belts act as cool-island zones; the restored forest patches near housing clusters and business parks will reduce ambient night-time temperatures by up to 0.8 °C in modelling projections.
• Biodiversity conservation: The Aravallis house species such as Indian fox, nilgai, jackal, Indian hare and over 750 plant species. Restoration will improve habitat connectivity and reduce fragmentation—particularly important as Gurgaon’s built footprint grows.

6. Social and livelihood dimensions

The execution model includes community engagement. Villages adjacent to the hills will receive roles: sapling nursery operations, patrolling of regeneration sites, NTFP harvesting rights, and eco-tourism links (nature-trails, heritage interpretive sites). The plan estimates creation of ~3,000 short-term jobs (plantation, terrace works) in the first two years and ~5,000 medium-term jobs in eco-services and local forest operations by 2028.

For land-owners whose parcels are within the restoration zone (but not part of formal reserves), the state has announced a legacy arrangement: moderate leasing or community-forest rights (under Section 3K of the Indian Forest Act) will be converted into village-forests with revenue-sharing from eco-tourism, sapling supply and carbon-credit monetisation. A pilot has begun in Rewari district where farmers receive per-acre yearly payments for allowing sapling growth and maintenance for five years.

7. Risks, caveats and what to watch out for

While the initiative is promising, several risks and execution-fault-lines remain:

1. Illegal mining & encroachment: A large portion of the Aravalli hills in Haryana remain un-notified or un-clear under the Forest (Conservation) Act. Without formal protection, plantations could still be graded over by mining leases or urban zoning. The Times of India report warns that nearly 40% of the Haryanai Aravalli area lacks Forest (Conservation) Act status.
2. Survival and maintenance of plantations: Past afforestation programmes in northern India have been criticised for high mortality rates (>30%) within three years due to inadequate follow-up. Unless survival is factored (not just planting numbers), the mission may under-deliver.
3. Urban-sprawl pressure: Proximity to sprawling Gurgaon means that new construction, land-filling, and infrastructure may keep pushing into the hills. Unless land-use enforcement and zoning hold, the restored green belt may become fragmented.
4. Budget and multi-year commitment: Large-scale restoration often suffers from front-loaded planting and then trailing maintenance budgets. The ₹11 lakh-crore roads-programme (discussed earlier) shows that headline targets can hide longer billing cycles. A similar risk looms for the Green Wall.
5. Community buy-in: Without tangible livelihood benefits for adjacent villages (especially those affected by land-conversion), social resistance or neglect could weaken outcomes.

8. How this fits national and global commitments

India’s forest and tree cover (as of the most recent Forest Survey of India data) stands at 25.17% of its geographical area. While this is a modest increase (+1,445 sq km since 2021), the pace of degradation remains faster in several zones. The Aravalli restoration provides an example of targeted, landscape-level intervention in a high-risk corridor and supports India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments under the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, it aligns with the Bonn Challenge and the Global Forest Goals which push for restoration of 350 million ha globally by 2030.

At the state level, Haryana’s action shows sub-national leadership in environment which is crucial as climate-resilience must be locally anchored. The project may become a model for other peri-urban-forest belts (e.g., Delhi-Himachal foothills, Western Ghats fringe).

9. What success will look like and how to measure it

Key success indicators over the next 3-5 years include:

• Plantation survival rate > 80% after 24 months.
• Increase in canopy cover by ≥ 20% in target zones (measured by satellite imagery, e.g., Sentinel-2 derived NDVI).
• Reduction in mining-lease approvals or encroachments within the restored belt by ≥ 50% compared to baseline.
• Increase in peri-urban groundwater levels by measurable mm/year (geohydrologist benchmark).
• Economic benefits for local households: number of village-based agro-forestry units, employment, eco-tourism revenues.

10. Bottom line

The Aravalli Green Wall initiative marks a defining moment for Gurgaon-NCR’s ecological future. By pledging restoration across 24,990 ha in its first phase, Haryana is not merely planting trees—it is reclaiming a former buffer, re-engineering land use, and aligning urban growth with nature. If executed well with strong monitoring, committed funding and genuine community participation, this project could shift the narrative of peri-urban sprawl from destruction to regeneration. The alternative — half-hearted implementation — risks leaving the hills as a green veneer over deeper degradation. The hillocks behind Gurgaon may hold the difference between whether the city thrives sustainably or merely survives in a hotter, drier future.