Kishangarh (Rajasthan), March 29 Endless white plains under the sun, no pine trees, and no air pollution, yet the scenery looks like a winter postcard. Many mistake it for Bolivia's Salt Flats, snow-covered Gulmarg, or even scenic Switzerland.
This picturesque location, which has become a popular tourist destination, is Asia's largest marble waste dumping yard in Kishangarh, Ajmer district of the arid state of Rajasthan.
The dumping site, where over 700 tankers carrying around 22 lakh litres of marble slurry are emptied every day, attracts at least 5,000 visitors daily, with footfall reaching up to 20,000 on weekends and holidays.
Due to its pristine white appearance, the dumping yard, which covers 350 acres, is also a popular destination for pre-wedding and commercial shoots. However, environmentalists and health experts have flagged it as not just a health hazard but also a pollution hotspot.
Scientific studies conducted by the Central University of Rajasthan have flagged it as a "toxic tourist destination", documenting the health and ecological impacts of this unregulated dumping. These concerns have also reached the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has set up a joint committee including members from state and central pollution control boards.
"Despite its scale and impact, the dumping yard is being operated in blatant violation of basic environmental safeguards. There is no engineered liner system, no settling ponds, no dust suppression mechanisms, no monitoring of air or groundwater, and no protective green belt."
"These failures have led to severe contamination of groundwater, degradation of agricultural land, and high levels of fugitive dust pollution, thereby endangering public health," said Laxmi Kant Sharma, a professor of Environmental Science at the Central University of Rajasthan.
Sharma noted that the university's studies have found that the toxic contamination of water sources in the vicinity is reflected in the total dissolved solids escalating 10 times above the safe limit within a 6-km radius of the dumping site.
"The concentration of lead silicate in soil and nitrate and fluoride concentrations in water were found several times higher than normal levels, indicating extreme contamination. Our study also found that the concentration of PM2.5 exceeds the ambient air quality standards," he said.
"Since the waste particles are smaller than 75 micrometres, they can spread far and wide, making the soil infertile. Several people may be suffering from silicosis. The government needs to take immediate action to prevent the situation from getting out of hand," he added.
The Kishangarh Marble Association (KMA) was established in the 1980s. About 30 years ago, the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO) allotted two dumping plots to the association. This is when the first marble waste was dumped here, and the slurry accumulated to the extent that it formed white plateaus and mountains.
Today, there are over 1,200 marble cutting units in the city.
For years, nobody paid attention. The location came into the spotlight after comedian Kapil Sharma shot a song here for his debut film "Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon" in 2016.
Then, more and more celebrities started visiting. Nora Fatehi shot her song "Chhor Denge" here, Honey Singh and Nushrratt Bharuccha came for the "Saiyaan ji" music video, and Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor shot the "Dus Bahane" song for Baaghi 3.
The place also attracted the attention of pre-wedding photographers, who started bringing couples here to capture them against the white landscapes and blue ponds.
The KMA came up with an innovative model of turning the dumping yard into a tourist destination, which also now has a helipad.
While entry for visitors is free, they need to obtain a pass from the KMA office, which is about a kilometre away. A visitor entering with a single digital camera must pay Rs 500, a pre-wedding shoot costs Rs 5,100 a day, and a commercial shoot can cost up to Rs 21,000 a day.
"The revenue is used to maintain the dumping yard. We have made changing rooms for those coming for shoots. There is also a helipad. There are restaurants and options for recreational activities. The dumping yard has put Kishangarh on the national tourism map," said KMA president Sudhir Jain.
"We have not received any health-related complaints from any tourist. In fact, the NGT also did not find anything hazardous here. We have been issued some guidelines for maintaining the area, and we will follow them," Jain added.
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