As pollution in the air is increasing day by day, it is fast leading to the discolouration of the Taj Mahal, Agra’s famous white marble monument of love.
The pollution is slowly turning the Taj Mahal yellow. Government is making efforts to save the historic monument in northern India but nothing is going in its favour.
Cemeteries near the monument and sewer lines surrounding the Taj are the main sources of pollution around the Taj Mahal.
Dust particles and carbon gases emanating from the burning of biomass at the cemetery every day, combined with poisonous gases arising from the nearby sewer and the polluted river Yamuna settle on the white marble of the Taj Mahal, causing it to turn yellow.
“You might have seen the polluted environment on both sides of the Taj Mahal. The methane gases that emanate from these places are such that you cannot stand near them.
It is a different matter that our officials have repeatedly spent millions of rupees to try to clean the Taj and its environment.
But if you see the condition now, poisonous gases arising from the sewer and the polluted river Yamuna continues to affect the monument,” said member, Supreme Court committee to monitor environmental threats to Taj Mahal, D.K Joshi in Agra.
Previously, government had launched a 650 crore programme, between 1998 and 2000 after monument’s famous white marble was seen to be turning yellow, the programme had some impact but not enough to keep up with pollution around the site.
Increasing Industrialization and urbanization in Agra are the major factors which contribute to environmental pollution taking the pollution levels in the city to two to three times above the global pollution standards
