Taj tourism hit by high pollution
"They failed to note that all Mughal monuments that attract the tourists were sited along the Yamuna's banks. And a dry polluted river can not only foul up the ambience but prove a threat to the survival of these precious heritage assets," a group of envi
Green activists have criticized an action plan launched to control air pollution in Agra, one of India's most polluted cities and home to the Taj Mahal, for ignoring the contribution of the Yamuna river to the present mess.
The Clean Air Action Plan was launched with a lot of fanfare and hype but has failed to convince local activists of its effectiveness and approach. Experts say that air pollution has stunted growth of the tourism industry in Agra.
"They failed to note that all Mughal monuments that attract the tourists were sited along the Yamuna's banks. And a dry polluted river can not only foul up the ambience but prove a threat to the survival of these precious heritage assets," a group of environmentalists said ahead on World Environment Day on June 5.
Agra is notorious for heaps of garbage that are openly burnt, for squatters and illegal structures in reserved forest areas and large-scale construction on Yamuna's flood plains, a meeting held along the Yamuna was told by green activists.
They said the chief contributors to the air pollution in Agra were the dry river bed and the westerly winds from the neighbouring Rajasthan desert that bring tons of dust, raising the SPM (suspended particulate matter) level in the Taj Trapezium Zone, spread over 10,400 sq km.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Anup Pandey, senior officials of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest as well as UN representatives attended the launch of the action plan. Pandey admitted that while noxious gas emissions were under control, the alarming levels of SPM and RSPM were a challenge.
The Action Plan covers vehicle emission control, suspension of road dust, emission control such as biomass, crop residue, garbage and municipal solid waste burning, industrial emissions, air pollution from construction and demolition activities and monitoring of air quality among others.
Officials claimed that Agra's tourism industry had been hit hard due to high air pollution, which has harmed the worldfamous Taj Mahal.
Green activists Ranjan Sharma and Shailendra Singh Narwaar told a meeting that till the Yamuna river was cleaned and filled with water, throughout the year, "no strategy to fight air pollution will succeed".
Devashish Bhattacharya, an environmentalist, blamed the authorities for failing to protect the eco-sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone's green cover and water bodies from encroachment.
"Instead of green, the dominant colours all around are grey and brown. If they are serious about controlling air pollution in Agra, they must not only clean, desilt, dredge the Yamuna river but ensure expansion of the green cover."
Beginning July-August, the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department has announced it will be planting of a record 10 million saplings in Agra to tackle a spike in the air pollution figures in the ecosensitive Taj Trapezium Zone.
According to Forest Conservator Javed Akhtar, the Yogi Adityanath government's target for this year is 220 million saplings, up from 90 million last year.
In the adjoining city of Mathura, famous in Hindu religious lore, a unique experiment launched by the Yamuna Mission has started yielding results.
"Utilising treated waste and sewer water from drains a sprawling green space along the Yamuna has been developed. Right from Kans Kila adjoining the famous Vishram Ghat, a green belt till the periphery of Vrindavan town is being gradually developed.
"The advantages are several. Dust has been controlled. The vast stretch of wasteland has been utilised. Drains are not opening into the river and new picnic spots have come up," Rashmi Sharma, local in-charge of the project, said.