The Cook Islands in association with New Zealand, is spearheading deep-sea mining exploration for minerals crucial in electric car batteries.
The Cook Islands, a self-governing island state, is situated in the South Pacific Ocean, with its capital at Avarua on Rarotonga Island. The Northern islands are low-lying coral atolls, while the Southern islands are larger and volcanic.
Located in the foothills of the Himalayas in Assam’s Sonitpur district, it is part of the Sonitpur Kameng Elephant Reserve along with Nameri National Park. Recognized as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International, it boasts diverse fauna including Asian Elephants, Indian Bison, Leopards, and various deer species, and rich flora with different types of forests. The sanctuary is intersected by perennial rivers like Dolsiri, Gabharu, Gelgeli, Belsiri, and Sonairupai.
Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills
Despite a ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal in 2014, all 26,000 abandoned rat-hole coal mines in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district remain operational.
Rat-hole mining involves narrow pits dug into the ground, primarily practised in Meghalaya due to the thinness of coal seams.
East Jaintia Hills district is a district with its headquarters at Khliehriat in Meghalaya state. The district was carved out of Jaintia Hills district on 31 July 2012. Khliehriat and Saipung are the two community and rural development blocks of the district.
The Supreme Court has prohibited four states—Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Gujarat—from granting fresh mining leases in the Aravalli region.
This directive, based on a report by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), includes hills and a 100-meter-wide buffer zone around them.
The Aravalli Range, among the world’s oldest fold mountains, is home to diverse flora and fauna, with significant rivers originating from its slopes. However, it faces major threats such as illegal mining, deforestation, and undermining of the Natural Conservation Zone (NCZ) designation, particularly by Haryana.
NCZ is a protected area designation in Haryana. The 2021 Regional Plan passed by the NCR Planning Board zoned the entire Aravalli range in Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan as NCZ
