The Taj Mahal goes green - and India must cut the crap

The Taj Mahal, located in the northern city of Agra, is a site of national and global importance. Hailed as a monument to love, it is one of India’s greatest tourist draws. 

Thus, reports that parts of the gleaming-white marble structure are turning greenish-black from faeces and dirt produced by an insect called Geoldichironomus are nothing short of alarming.

Environmental activists who brought the deterioration to the attention of the local Uttar Pradesh government say that stagnation of water in the Yamuna River due to industrial pollution has produced a breeding ground for the insect. The resulting environmental degradation of India’s most famous historical monument cannot be tolerated.

The Taj is an irreplaceable national symbol, considered the architectural pinnacle of the Mughal Empire. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and has been preserved as a jewel in the country’s treasure store of heritage. 

Responsibility for its upkeep  lies with the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government.

UP’s chief minister has called for a probe into the reasons for the discoloration. The state public works department, UP Pollution Control Board and the archaeological department have been asked to identify the “real cause” of the problem and provide a “quick solution” for swift action.

This first step is in the right direction, but there is widespread and understandable scepticism that the probe’s results will not lead to efficient remedial action. Such is the level of alarm in Delhi that the National Green Tribunal, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has sent notices to the UP government seeking explanations and a plan of action to combat the deterioration.

The Taj Mahal is a world heritage site and therefore should have an existing preservation action plan. Environmental degradation due to carbon emissions, air, water and noise pollution, and decreasing wilderness and natural habitats should be regarded as a priority issues by policymakers.

What’s happening to the Taj illustrates that deterioration of the environment has a direct bearing on civilisational values and heritage. India is home to 32 world heritage sites, 25 of which are considered to be of international historical importance and seven of international natural importance. Thus it is not merely India’s historical and natural heritage that is at stake here, but that of the world.