SUMMARY

The world is waking up to what is a burning global issue - 'ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION'. Environmental degradation is perhaps a dramatic symbol of the development process in the country, which dislocates lives and destroys the environment for the sake of dubious gain. Rampant destruction of forests by commercial interests further destabilizes the environment. Droughts, famines floods, soil erosion are regular features of wanton deforestation. Industrial effluents contaminate natural water reservoirs, pollutants poison the air leading to numerous diseases and slow deaths. Grim statistics confirm deforestation links to global warming. These are all symptoms of the environmental crisis which is already upon us. It is not something to be vaguely concerned about as some distant future possibility but a contemporary reality. It is not a lament over the disappearing idyllic or pristine beauty, but a direct cry for survival.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF ARAVALI HILLS

The Aravali Range extends from Gurgaon in Haryana to the northern boundaries of Gujarat and has been denuded of almost all its forest cover. Environmentalists are also concerned about the resultant soil erosion and the shifting of the desert to the plains of Haryana. This paper suggests solutions addressing the issue in a wholistic manner.