Like Kashmir: Toxic Marble Dump Yard Became a Tourist Spot in India
A striking tourist destination
Kishangarh, in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district, is a centre for marble and granite processing. Its “Snow Yard” is a large landfill of marble waste, with white slopes and water-filled pits that attract hundreds of tourists each day. Entry is free.
Salim Shahzada, a visitor from Uttar Pradesh, said his family thought the scenery resembled Kashmir. He told Al Jazeera he had visited before but did not know about the health and environmental concerns linked to the site.
Residents report health problems
Nearly 5,000 people live near the dump, and Bagharam Gurjar said it has affected residents in at least six villages. He and his wife regularly take medicine for chest infections or skin problems, he said, while his wife has a chronic cough.
Aditi Goyal, a general physician at Ajmer’s Ganga Narayan Hospital, said residents face respiratory and skin risks. Marble-unit workers are especially vulnerable to chronic illness from prolonged exposure to toxic dust, she said, and dust from the soil can also cause infections.
Research points to contamination
A study led by Laxmi Kant Sharma of the Central University of Rajasthan found that lead silicate levels in Kishangarh’s soil were several times higher than normal. It said fine waste particles can spread widely and make soil infertile.
The study also found PM2.5 concentrations above ambient air-quality standards and warned that some people may have silicosis. Singh said groundwater was no longer fit to drink, and claimed respiratory problems such as asthma could affect almost every household if surrounding villages were properly examined.
Calls for action continue
Residents have complained to authorities, including the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, Singh said. An RSPCB regional official in Kishangarh declined to comment when Al Jazeera contacted her.
Sharma said the dump should be moved away from people and questioned why visitors could enter without masks or eat at the site. He also proposed installing tile units, which could use marble slurry and help reduce pollution. Kishangarh’s stone industry supports about 25,000 jobs, with daily business estimated at more than 160 million rupees ($1.7m), according to the industry federation.
Key points
- Kishangarh’s white marble-waste hills draw hundreds of tourists each day.
- Residents in at least six villages report health problems linked to dust and pollution.
- A study found high lead silicate levels in soil and PM2.5 above air-quality limits.
- A professor proposed moving the dump and using marble slurry in tile manufacturing.