Sawt Falasteen - Indian marble waste dump becomes unlikely tourist attraction

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 82 acres (33 hectares), it receives more than 5,500 tonnes of slurry every day from over 1,200 processing units, making it one of Asia's largest such disposal sites.

But 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 has fuelled 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.

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

P.Tamimi--SF-PST