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 Dust,
vanishing greenery threaten Taj:
The Taj Mahal and other
heritage monuments in and around Agra are facing a major threat from
dust-laden air. Unabated construction is making the city’s green
cover disappear and drying up water ......
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Agra:
Seventeen years after India’s Supreme Court called for reducing
pollution around the Taj Mahal, this tourist city certainly boasts
of cleaner public transport and improved greenery. But many bigger
battles are yet to be won.
The fragile 17th century Taj continues to be battered by dusty winds
due to illegal mining in the Aravali hills. Close by, the Yamuna
river still flows dirty. And problems of encroachment and noise
pollution persist.
Officials say Agra’s air quality has improved.
“Traffic management and better road conditions have helped reduce
air pollution. Every day 35,000 kg of CNG is being consumed as clean
fuel by autos, buses and other vehicles instead of diesel,” B.B.
Awasthi, a pollution control board officer, told IANS.
“The availability of clean fuel will increase in days to come when
we will have 10 CNG stations. Right now we have only three. The
sulphur dioxide is within limits. All parameters of air pollution
look safe and ok,” Awasthi added.
“The air quality has improved, the SPM level has come down from
around 900 micrograms per cubic metre in 2000 to 300 micrograms per
cubic metre now, a 67 percent reduction.”
He however admitted: “The NOx level (oxides of nitrogen) is still
high due to the use of diesel generators on a big scale and an
increasing number of vehicles on the road.”
The Supreme Court in December 1993, while disposing of the MC Mehta
PIL, had directed polluting industries in the Taj Trapezium to shift
or switch over to natural gas. This move alone helped drastically
bring down air pollution.
The apex court also wanted cooking gas to be made available to all
residents of the city which has largely been accomplished and gas
connections are available for the asking, say Indian Oil Corporation
officials.
The Mathura refinery had been cited as the original villain. But
now, a refinery official said, a dense green cover insulates it and
filters the air before it escapes into the ambient air, and all
pollution control systems are in place.
The horticulture department and the forest division are also playing
a more proactive role to green the city.
A significant change has been the introduction of Marco Polo buses
which are gradually replacing auto-rickshaws as a mode of transport
within Agra.
“No longer does one feel choked or suffocated at the road
crossings,” says Rajeev Gupta, a businessman.
But many Agra residents are not as happy.
“The air is foul and stinking, the water of the river is contagious,
not fit to even touch, the roads are shorn of green cover, the noise
pollution level has gone up several fold, illegal encroachments are
eating up all vacant spaces,” Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj
Mandal Heritage Foundation, told IANS.
The whole Braj Mandal area, which once had numerous mangroves and a
dozen dense forests, is under the stress of urbanisation.
The stone mafia, despite a ban on mining in the Aravalis as also in
areas bordering Fatehpur Sikri, continues its operations
clandestinely. Mining has left gaping holes for dusty winds to the
Taj, working as sand paper to roughen the surface of the monument
that attracts around 7,500 tourists every day.
“Citizens of the area must be mobilised and sensitised to the new
dangers. Our heritage, the river, the forests … our very existence
is in danger,” says Father John Farreira, an educationist.
Mughal historian R. Nath feels a lot has to be done to save the
monument. “India’s top architectural attraction, as also the biggest
revenue earner, the Taj Mahal has not received the care worthy of
its status. The rear of the mausoleum is totally exposed to the
elements.
“If in the coming years the tilt of the minarets increases or the
mausoleum itself shows signs of sinking or stress, it should not
come as a surprise as the original physical settings of the whole
area have been tampered with and the ecological balance disturbed
beyond redemption,” warns Nath.
“If you look at the old photographs and original drawings you will
find the river full and flowing close to the foundation. The
surroundings were lush green. The backdrop was picturesque, the
river water had the capacity to absorb any amount of pollution in
the air. What now?” Nath asks.
(Brij Khandelwal
can be contacted at brij.k@ians.in)
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