SAVE THE TAJ!

A national treasure is now a picture of monumental neglect—at risk of irreversible damage from pollution and administrative mismanagement. What can we do to preserve this precious symbol of our heritage?

Hydel plants, mining, domestic and industrial waste, deforestation, groundwater exhaustion, floodplain encroachment, the Yamuna is an ‘ecologically dead’ river at Agra. The Taj’s foundations are buried deep below the riverbed. Research now shows the water level is receding. Will the Mughal tomb cave in if the Yamuna dies?

Green stains are fly specks

With the rising algae and detritus, the population of midges in the Yamuna has exploded. Their green faeces can be washed off, but the alarm has been sounded on the severe environmental degradation