EVE PROJECT NEW DELHI (AP) — Air pollution is turning the Taj Mahal, India’s famed white-marble monument to love, a decidedly unromantic yellow. But as with many aging beauties, a therapeutic mud pack has been recommended to restore its natural allure. A report put before India’s Parliament on Monday said that despite efforts taken by the government to preserve the 17th-century edifice, pollution was taking its toll. The coloring was blamed on high levels of “suspended particulate matter” — or tiny granules of dirt in the air — generally caused by burning fossil fuels and dust. The deposition of SPM on the shimmering white marble of the Taj Mahal imparts yellow tinge to the marble surface,” the report by a Parliamentary committee said. The committee based its findings on data from the Air Pollution Monitoring Laboratory in the city of Agra, set up to monitor the effects of air pollution on the iconic building. Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, is about 130 miles southeast of India’s capital, New Delhi. The report said while levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide in the air were acceptable, high levels of particulate matter were a constant, except during the brief rainy season.
Currently, to cut back on pollution, cars and buses are not allowed to drive to the Taj Mahal but to a parking lot about 1 ? miles away, where visitors can take battery-run buses or horse-drawn carriages to reach the monument. The report recommended applying a special mud pack to the building to restore its alabaster look. “To restore the pristine glory of the Taj Mahal, as a conservation measure, the clay pack treatment which is non-corrosive and non-abrasive (should be) carried out for the removal of the accretionary deposits,” the report said.
The white-marbled domed monument was built by the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It houses their graves and a mosque, as well as several other graves of lesser Mogul royalty. . Some 3 million tourists visit the site every year Taj trapezium The Taj Trapezium Ten Point initiative for reduction of pollution in Taj In recent years, the impact of air pollution on the Taj Mahal has become a matter of grave concern. It has been recognised that corrosive impact of pollutants and emissions from industries. vehicles etc. , in the vicinity of Taj needs to be addressed first.
Keeping this in view, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, has launched a 10 point programme aimed at reducing air pollution for protection of this national monument by introducing cleaner fuels. The progress of implementation of the programme is closely monitored by a task force set up in the Ministry. The point-wise status of implementation of the programme is given below: i) LPG for all house holds The entire waiting list for LPG connections in Taj Trapezium area has been cleared and connections are now offered across the counter. ii) Supply of lead free Petrol
Unleaded petrol has been made available through 22 retail outlets in Agra. Low lead petrol containing a maximum lead content of 0. 15 gmltr. is also available in all the outlets, iii) Preferential allocation of LPG for industries Under this programme Oil Companies are in position to supply LPG. to industries and commercial establishment in the Taj Trapezium area. But the demand from the industry has been very poor. ULP in Taj Trapezium Given the importance of Taj as an international monument, the ULP facilities were first introduced on the Delhi-Agra highway failing in Taj Trapezium and also in the city of Agra.
This is expected to improve the environmental conditions in and around the Taj Mahal. Low lead petrol in Taj Trapezium In order to further contribute to the protection of the Taj, low lead petrol having a lead content of 0. 15g/1 has been introduced in the whole of the Taj Trapezium w. e. f. 1. 9. 95. The sale of high lead petrol has been altogether discontinued in the Taj Trapezium. Low Sulphur HSD in Taj Trapezium Since sulphur is highly corrosive, and therefore detrimental for the Taj Mahal, low sulphur HSD with a sulphur content of 0. % was introduced in the Taj Trapezium area from 1. 4. 96. However, going a step further, it was decided to reduce the sulphur content in HSD sold in Taj Trapezium. Therefore, HSD with a maximum sulphur content of only 0. 25% was introduced in Taj Trapezium from 1. 9. 96. GEOGRAPHY PROJECT Like most cities of North India, the weather and climate of Agra is extreme and tropical. In Agra and surrounding areas, summers are extremely hot and the maximum temperature goes as high as 45? Celsius, while the weather during winter remains cold and foggy at times.
During the Monsoon season, Agra city receives heavy rains and the weather becomes hot and humid. Overall, the climate of Agra can be summed up as extreme i. e. mercury rises too high in summers and during the winter months of Dec-January the weather of Agra becomes cold. You can visit the Agra city during any part of the year but it is recommended that one must avoid the extreme hot summers (April-June) and rainy season (July-Sept). Thus, the most suitable time to visit Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal, is during winters.
