Indian marble waste dump becomes tourist attraction

ONE PERSON’S TRASH: Blanketed in white slurry and discarded stone, the industrial wasteland has drawn tourists, while authorities warn of environmental impacts

A sprawling expanse of white marble waste in India is drawing tourists, filmmakers and social media enthusiasts to a landscape that looks more like a snow-covered valley than a dumping ground.

The site in Kishangarh, a major marble-processing hub in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, is blanketed in white slurry and discarded stone generated when marble and granite blocks are cut and polished.

Spread across 33 hectares, it receives more than 5,500 tonnes of slurry every day from more than 1,200 processing units, making it one of Asia’s largest such disposal sites.

A young boy walks atop mounds of marble dust at the marble-waste dumping yard in Rajasthan’s Kishangarh City on Sunday.

Photo: AFP

However, the industrial wasteland has evolved into an unlikely attraction.

Couples pose among the chalk-white mounds for pre-wedding photographs, while filmmakers and music-video crews use the terrain as a backdrop.

Visitors ride horses across the undulating landscape, drawn by its unusual appearance.

Social media have fueled the site’s popularity, with visitors comparing its gleaming surface to snowy alpine scenery.

After rainfall, water collects in depressions between the waste piles, forming vivid blue pools that accentuate the illusion of a mountain vista.

Authorities have repeatedly warned about the environmental impacts of marble waste disposal in the region, citing risks ranging from airborne dust to groundwater contamination.

Studies have detected elevated levels of salinity, hardness and some heavy metals in water from the surrounding area.

India’s top environmental court ordered a series of corrective measures in January, including guidelines aimed at promoting the reuse of slurry instead of uncontrolled dumping.

“There is no engineered liner system, no decanting wells, no dust suppression mechanisms, no monitoring of air or groundwater, and no protective green belt,” the tribunal said in its order.

However, those dangers have not yet deterred crowds of visitors from soaking in the striking, otherworldly scenery.