illegal mining mafia near jaipur
Random Contemplations

Stone Quarrying in Jaipur| Do we need to celebrate Earth Day?

How do we celebrate Earth Day? Let me share an instance of how we humans are plundering our planet Earth, causing severe ecological damage in our never-ending quest for the profits. Our planet Earth is a beautiful place but human quest for profits is causing an irrepairable damage to the planet.

landscape-view-near-jaipur-morning-earth-weekly-photo-challenge
Read related post: Earth day! Stop cutting trees

Jhalana Dungari (Dungar means hill in local language) is a classic example of the damage caused to the local ecology. It’s a hill range that forms a natural barrier in the East direction.

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Jhalana hills and Jhalana forest in Jaipur

Incidentally, Jhalana Forest in Jaipur is famous for the Jhalana Leopard safari, among the wildlife enthusiasts in India. These hills have contributed to the city’s development by way of supplying stone for construction of houses and buildings, for years. Stone crushing units lined the base of this hill range until the court decision banned their activity due to the proximity to human settlement and ecological reasons. This picture shows the scars of mining. The rock in the foreground is all that is left of a small hill! Such an eyesore!

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Damage caused by extensive quarrying & mining in Jhalana Hills, Jaipur

While the blasting activity may have ceased in Jhalana hill range which is also a protected forest, the stone crushers moved out of the city, to nearby locations post-1990s. They now run in many surrounding areas which are only a few kilometers away from the urban settlements. Various incidents point towards strong nexus between mining/quarry mafia and political power centers engaging in illegal mining activity. Take a close look at this picture.  The entire hill has been blasted away.

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One of many quarrying sites near Jaipur

The mining activity and blasting cause severe ecological damage, impacting both flora and fauna. It robs them of their natural habitat. Continuous blasting causes noise pollution; the ever-present dust particles contribute towards air pollution. Not just birds and animals, it also impacts human life. Constant exposure to dust particles causes asthma.

Read related post: Earth day! Stop cutting trees

I understand that we all need resources for the quality of life and it is Earth where we all turn to. But we also need to make sure that we adhere to all legal compliance and safe practices. Damage to the local ecology needs to be curtailed. This is one of the many issues we all are facing.

illegal mining mafia near jaipur
Another quarrying site near Jaipur, Scarring the Earth.

Does celebrating Earth Day helps in contributing to any cause? Does celebrating Earth Day, make any difference? I will love to hear your response.

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56 thoughts on “Stone Quarrying in Jaipur| Do we need to celebrate Earth Day?”

  2. In our area also, small hills have disappeared due to quarrying. It took about half a century for some big rocks to disappear. The villagers say it has affected the climate of the place.

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  3. I hate when humans cut down trees to build houses or to expand roads.. We have no right to disturb the nature. I have seen many hills disappearing for mining activities. We should be ashamed of ourselves to destroy this beautiful nature..

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    1. Well said, Mehul. Everything in moderation is okay, after all we all depend on Earth’s natural resources. Uncontrolled and illegal activities are certainly a big culprit. It’s unfortunate that everyone doesn’t appreciate nature. We are already experiencing pitfalls of plundering of resources! By the way are you residing close to hills?

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    1. well said, Nurul. We need more actions that can reverse the damage. Unfortunately, media highlights buzz related to events more than creating awareness. If we can contribute in someway to this cause, it’ll be awesome.
      I’m sure a well traveled person like you would have come across similar issues across the globe.
      Thanks for sharing your thoughts here Nurul.

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  8. I would like to say it in the words of the famous Nature poet, William Wordsworth who said more than a century ago “And much it grieved my heart to think What man has made of man.” When he said this he was commenting on the attitude of man towards Nature.
    The consequences of plundering Mother Nature are eventually borne by man himself yet his greed can never be satiated! Turning a blind eye to the laws of the land, irresponsible attitude of the concerned authorities and self-serving goals of people involved in such activities…are some of the unsolved dilemmas!

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    1. Well said. It’s a human nature that’s hard to tame. No other species is so destructive as humans on this planet! They are the sole reason for disappearance of so many other species of fauna. The sooner we realize and amend, better it’ll be. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this issue. 🙂

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  10. This is the dillema where a collective thought process has to be initiated. As of now in the name of economic growth their is a lot of destruction happening and being justified.At some point the damage may become irreversible. This case pointed out in your blog is just one of them.

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    1. Its true. I guess every few days we hear such stories where economic development take precedence over environment. We are so desperate for so called development that we chose short term gains over the long term loss/ damage.

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  14. We could celebrate a thousand earth days in a year and it would not make any difference to the giant mining companies. I believe as long as we just keep dreaming the environmental dream, nothing will change. For the corporate world it will be business as usual. We need governments with backbone and moral fortitude to stop the disastrous trend, arv!

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    1. I think there’s truth in your statement. Unfortunately, it is these very governments that support mining companies. The incentive is income through taxes and royalties. In some cases, it is bribes!
      Its a difficult nexus. Unless there’s change in government, these mining licenses are never revoked. So all we can do is spread awareness and just hope!

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  15. What a great example of the damage we humans can do to Mother Earth. I believe we are beginning to focus on rebuilding and reinforcing her but some horrors still go on. Personally I think Earth Day does at least bring some focus to the issues which at least makes people stop and think

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    1. Somali, I am sure its pretty much same across India… and also in many other countries. Profit making is driving everyone to engage in such practices. Unfortunately, humans don’t know when to stop. Sad…. Indeed!

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  19. This blasting activity sounds like quite a show. But as you mentioned, it harms the environment and it is sad to see so little of natural rock left around Jhalana hill. Also worrying that the crushers were so close to housing as well. It is like residential areas don’t matter 😦 Also, quality of air that affects asthma travels – that is, polluted air is ofteen carried to different states by winds (like how haze spreads). So it really is lose-lose all round. There must be a limit as to how much rock can be blasted away…after all, it is nature, it is history.

    Here in Australia a lot of barren land is being transformed into high rise areas. It is great that our country is vast and there is a lot of greenery and rocks left, some of them more iconic than others and are preserved. Think the Great Ocean Road and the Great Barrier Reef 🙂

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    1. I guess the stories are similar across the world. The gravity of problem may vary, though. In general, the authorities have no issues with the means and methods used. One of the issues that recently was in the news is Adani’s CarMichael project in Queensland, Australia. An Indian company that took over this project is facing stiff resistance from environmentalists and public. I’m not sure if you have come across this news!
      It’s actually a great thing that Australia has low population in comparison to the area. Out here India has very high population pressure. Increasingly the agricultural land is being converted into residential use.
      I just hope that every individual realises impact of his presence on environment.
      Thanks for your sharing views, Mabel. Have a great weekend! 🙂

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      1. I’ve heard a bit about the project from the news. You are right. The general public in Queensland are against it, but the government is pushing for it. Most part of Queensland isn’t that dense population wise, and don’t think it’s growing as fast as Melbourne and Sydney. But more and more there are opportunities to make Queensland all the more appealing in the long term, and one way is to go ahead with such developments. I suppose India has benefitted from them over the last few decades, unfortunately at the expense of the environment 😦

        On a happier note, you have a good weekend too, Arv!

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      2. Mabel, there are always collateral damages when it comes to such projects. And there are two sides of the coin. Yes, we have gained quite a bit from such projects. On the flip side there are some grave repercussions. I hope that we take a balanced approach towards such issues.
        You too have a great weekend, Mabel. BTW, you are lucky to in Australia because people have a balanced approach towards work and relaxation/holiday. 🙂

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