Dizzyingly deep pits from large-scale mining scar India¡¯s ancient Aravalli mountains, threatening the future of a forested buffer that New Delhi relies on for protection from furnace-hot desert winds.

Residents have long protested that the hills of the 700-kilometer?range are being torn apart by unchecked mining, to feed an insatiable hunger for concrete in some of the world¡¯s fastest-growing cities.

Late last year, India¡¯s top court ordered a ban on new mining licenses in the region, but some fear the move comes too late.