The operation of multiple illegal and polluting kilns along the Haryana-Rajasthan border near the Aravalli range poses a serious threat to local ecology, public health and wildlife, the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board has informed the National Green Tribunal.

In an affidavit filed before the NGT, the board submitted that as part of the inspection, its team visited the border between Udhanwas village in Rajasthan and Nurpur village in Haryana.

“The team found that multiple illegal crucibles or bhattis (kilns) had been set up in the vicinity, some of which fall within the territorial jurisdiction of village Udhanwas, Rajasthan,” the state pollution board submitted in its affidavit, adding that these kilns were using industrial waste.

The team did not find any air pollution control devices or safeguards at the site during the inspection.

“The emissions from such burning are therefore directly released into the atmosphere, posing a serious threat to local ecology, public health and wildlife,” the board said.

According to a resident’s statement, approximately 8-10 such bhattis are located within Udhanwas village, and the inspection team has come to know that these bhattis operate at night to avoid detection.