Asia’s largest marble waste dumping place in Kishangarh (Ajmer District, Rajasthan) is a tourist site. Daily, 22 lakh litres of marble slurry are emptied by 22 tankers at the acre-wide dump site. The 350-acre snow-white ground resembles Bolivia’s Salt Flat, Gulmarg and Switzerland. Daily, 5,000 visitors, and 20,000 on weekends and holidays, visit the place, which is also used for pre-wedding and commercial shoots. The Kishangarh Marble Association, which was allotted two dumping sites by the government, offers free entry to people but charges for shoots. There are changing rooms, kiosks, restaurants, horses, jeeps and even a helipad!
Researchers at the Central University of Rajasthan have highlighted this “toxic tourist destination” as a health and environmental hazard. Concerns have been raised regarding poor air quality, high levels of lead silicate, nitrate and fluoride in soil and groundwater, and degraded agricultural land. The absence of safeguards against pollution and a protective green belt makes the site highly unsafe. The National Green Tribunal and the Central Pollution Control Board are aware of the happenings; yet, the site is not closed to tourists. It is just a matter of time before something serious could occur, but it may be too late to salvage the situation.
