The fight to protect the Taj Mahal and its iconic white façade from India’s overwhelming pollution is proving to be a mammoth task that may require outside help if the country wants to preserve its most recognisable landmark.
One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the 17th-century mausoleum flanks a garbage-strewn river and is often enveloped by dust and smog from belching smokestacks and vehicles in Agra.
“If the Indian scientists and the (conservationists) can’t do the things, they should be able to contact foreign experts or conservationists, those who can come and they will be readily happy to help,” said lawyer MC Mehta, who has been fighting to save the Taj Mahal from pollution for three decades.
Tiny insects from the drying Yamuna River into which the city pours its sewage crawl into the Taj Mahal, their excrement further staining the marble, an environmental lawyer recently told the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court has repeatedly slammed the government for not doing enough to stop the white-marble from turning yellow and green as the 17th century mausoleum weathers filthy air in the world’s eighth-most polluted city.
The change in colour has not come out of the blue. Environmentalists and historians have long warned about the risk of soot and fumes from factories and tanneries dulling the ivory monument.
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