Kishangarh (Ajmer), Aug. 1 -- With trading waste turning increasingly profitable, marble and granite processing units in Kishangarh are Illegally dumping slurry across the town and selling it directly to ceramic manufacturers in Gujarat, bypassing authorised disposal sites, officials said on Friday. Kishangarh in Ajmer district is Asia's largest marble market with around 5,000 units that process, sell and export marble, granite and other stones. These units generate millions of litres of slurry and wastewater every day. While the slurry is meant to be disposed of at two designated sites, illegal dumping, often on government land, has spread across the town. All cutting and processing units are registered with the Kishangarh Marble Association (KMA), which represents nearly 4,000 businesses with an annual turnover of Rs 6,000 crore. Many small units are now bypassing the two authorised dump sites. Instead of paying tanker charges to transport the slurry to dump sites, units dump it nearby and sell it directly to ceramic manufacturers from Morbi, keeping the proceeds themselves. A tanker driver at one of the sites told HT, "The marble units dump slurry in the vicinity so they can directly sell to buyers from Morbi. They sell at a cheaper rate than the KMA and pocket the money. If traders from Morbi buy from the dump sites managed by the Marble Association, the money goes to the association." The driver, who asked not to be named, said that he makes approximately 10 rounds with the tanker during the day to dump slurry. For each round, he gets Rs 300. The illegal trade is driven by demand from Morbi, Gujarat, one of India's largest ceramic manufacturing hubs, where marble slurry is used as a raw material. Jagdish Malakar, a trader in Kishangarh, said, "The slurry is sold at Rs 300-400 per tonne and the cost of transportation by truck to Morbi is Rs 2500 per tonne. 200-300 trucks ply daily." Environmental activist Ashok Malik has identified at least 33 unauthorised dump sites. Google Earth images from 2020 show only the two designated dump sites, while images from 2025 reveal dozens of slurry dumps scattered across Kishangarh. Sudhir Jain, KMA president, said, "All units registered with us have to dispose slurry in the two approved disposal sites. However, many units are dumping the waste in their vicinity illegally. We have written to the Ajmer collector but no action has been taken." The first authorised site, spread across 320 hectares, has become a popular destination for wedding shoots, music videos and tourists unaware that the striking white hills and turquoise pools are the by-product of decades of industrial waste disposal. The second site measuring 520 hectares continues to be used for dumping slurry. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued guidelines to dispose of slurry, noting in its report that approximately 5 to 6 million tonnes of slurry is generated annually from marble processing units in Rajasthan. Malik, the environmentalist quoted above, has approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has taken cognizance of the marble waste problem and directed the KMA and the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board to take measures for proper disposal. Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) member secretary Kapil Chandrawal said, "If units which have valid mining leases and consent to operate are flouting rules, then we can issue closure notices or revoke their consent. But it is difficult to identify which unit is dumping the slurry." A Consent to Operate (CTO) for mines in Rajasthan is a mandatory environmental clearance issued by the RSPCB. A study by the Central University of Rajasthan found that fine, airborne dust particles at the dumping sites measure 4 to 12 times above safe national limits and up to 50 times higher than the WHO recommendations. The study said that slurry leaches into the soil, increasing total dissolved solids, hardness, alkalinity and heavy metals such as lead and copper in surrounding borewells. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances. LK Sharma, faculty at the Environmental Science department at the Central University of Rajasthan, who led the study, said, "We found that the slurry causes air, water and soil pollution and impacts health of workers and residents adversely." Sharma said slurry disposal on open lands chokes the topsoil, prevents water absorption, and damages crops and can block natural water streams and pollute underground water tables. The study surveyed 96 marble industry workers and residents in the vicinity of stone processing units, and all reported respiratory issues like breathing difficulties, lung related complications and skin allergies. Pulmonologist Lokesh Gupta said, "If workers are not given safety gear, and they have long-term exposure to fine dust from cutting stones, it can result in respiratory illnesses like bronchitis and reduced lung capacity."...