Is it too late to save the Taj Mahal?

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The Taj Mahal, one of the finest monuments in the world, is fast losing its lustre. Its famous white marble is turning yellow, thanks to increasing levels of water and air pollution around Agra.

Worse, the white marble that covered the elevated plinth on which the main octagonal structure, housing the tomb, had been built is worn out and turned an ugly black with many patches. The same can be said of the beautiful floral patterns in red sandstone that mark some of the side passageways.

A large part of exterior decoration of the Taj, comprising geometric designs in grey and black marble, has fallen off and no attempt has been made to replace it.

“The Taj often attracts up to 1 lakh tourists a day. Unless the entry is regulated, marble, which is a soft stone, is going to disintegrate,” said Rajiv Narain who heads a travel operators group in Agra.

Senior archaeologist with ASI I.D. Diwedi has written to the ASI director-general warning against these increasing numbers.

“The carrying capacity of a monument must be taken into account, especially when marble is known to face wear and tear. The Taj is suffering from tremendous stress. There is no ticketed entry for schoolchildren who come in huge numbers,” Mr Diwedi pointed out.

But these are not the only problems that beset India’s best-loved monument. The entire structure is wracked by an malodorous odour that comes from the nearby Taj corridor being used as a dump for the city’s waste.

“The Taj corridor should have been dismantled and greened. Instead, it is being used as a graveyard for the city’s cattle,” pointed out environmentalist Raman, a member of the newly-appointed Supreme Court monitoring committee.

The latest threat facing the monument are declining water levels of the Yamuna river, which, experts claim, have adversely affected the tomb’s structural integrity.