The rapid expansion of marble mining and processing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mohmand district — once hailed for job creation and local economic growth — is drawing growing criticism for serious environmental and safety impacts.
Mohmand, which hosts deposits of marble, chromite and nephrite, has seen a proliferation of small factories and quarries. Although authorities launched the Mohmand Marble City project (now rebranded as the Mohmand Economic Zone at Machnai) to centralize industry in a regulated area with proper waste-management infrastructure, most units remain scattered across Halimzai tehsil, especially near Chanda, Sangar and Nasapai.
Local residents, environmental experts and observers say the largely unregulated operations are releasing untreated wastewater, marble slurry and thick dust into natural streams and drainage channels. This dumping is clogging waterways and accelerating sedimentation, raising the risk of flash floods during heavy rains and threatening homes, farms and roads.
Government-built small dams and reservoirs intended to address water scarcity and support irrigation are also being affected. Officials report that check dams and reservoirs are filling with industrial debris; a check dam near Chanda Bazaar is reportedly nearly choked, and sedimentation at the Abdul Shakoor Small Dam near Ghalanai is jeopardizing planned irrigation and fisheries projects.
Residents say repeated complaints to authorities have not led to meaningful enforcement, and observers point to weak implementation of environmental rules as a key cause of ongoing damage. The continued dispersal of factories outside the designated economic zone prevents proper waste treatment and increases risks to agricultural land and local infrastructure.
Stakeholders are urging immediate action to avert further ecological and economic harm. Recommended measures include strict enforcement of environmental regulations, relocation of hazardous units into the Machnai economic zone with functional waste-management systems, and urgent desilting and clearing of drains, channels and dams to restore water flow and reduce flood risk.
Without prompt intervention, community leaders warn, the combined effects of slurry pollution, clogged waterways and silted reservoirs could undermine livelihoods, damage crops and infrastructure, and escalate safety hazards during seasonal storms.
