Indian marble waste dump draws tourists despite risks

A marble waste dump in Kishangarh in India's Rajasthan state is drawing tourists, filmmakers and social media users to a white landscape that resembles a snow-covered valley.

The 82-acre site is covered with white slurry and discarded stone from marble and granite processing. It receives more than 5,500 tonnes of slurry each day from more than 1,200 processing units, making it one of Asia's largest such disposal sites.

Visitors use the chalk-white mounds for pre-wedding photographs, music videos and film shoots. Some ride horses across the site, while social media posts compare the landscape to alpine snow. After rain, water collects between the waste piles and forms blue pools.

Authorities have warned about environmental risks from marble waste disposal in the region, including airborne dust and groundwater contamination. Studies have found elevated salinity, hardness and some heavy metals in water from the surrounding area.

India's top environmental court ordered corrective measures in January, including guidelines to promote reuse of slurry instead of uncontrolled dumping. The tribunal said the site lacked an engineered liner system, decanting wells, dust suppression mechanisms, air or groundwater monitoring and a protective green belt.

The warnings have not stopped crowds from visiting the site.