Metropolis Desk-
There are worries that the 17th-century white marble monument will be damaged because a river that flows through the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has risen to lap the Taj Mahal’s enclosure walls in the city of Agra.
After abnormally significant rain in northern India, especially Uttar Pradesh, which has gotten 108% of its typical rainfall since the four-month monsoon season started on June 1, the Yamuna River’s water level has risen during the past few days.
The Taj Mahal River segment climbed to 152 meters (499 feet) late on Tuesday, well beyond the 151.4-meter alert mark for potential danger, according to India’s Central Water Commission (CWC). The danger zone is at a height of 152.4 meters. According to local media, the last time the river reached the monument’s walls—which the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan erected in honor of his queen Mumtaz Mahal—was 45 years ago, in 1978.
Additionally, according to CWC data, the monument-area station measured the river’s greatest flood level that year at 154.76 meters. Images taken in the region on Tuesday showed the Taj Mahal’s red sandstone border wall surrounded by murky water with floating trash and the monument itself towering over the scene unaffected by the river.
There is currently “no serious concern” regarding the Taj Mahal, according to representatives of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the organization in charge of managing it, and numerous other monuments around the nation.
“If it rains more, or the water stays this high for some days, we will need to assess the situation again,” said Raj Kumar Patel, superintendent archaeologist with ASI.
Several other monuments and gardens located in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal, closer to the banks of the Yamuna, however, “have been submerged” and damaged, he said.
These include the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, often called “baby Taj”, which dates back to the 1600s, and Mehtab Bagh, also from the same period, whose structure has been damaged and garden area – currently under water – destroyed. Tourists from around the world continued to stream in through the gates of the Taj Mahal on Tuesday evening, undeterred by the rising water levels.
“It is crazy to see the water go up so much, but to see the Taj Mahal was beautiful,” said Mathew Kreton, 20, a student from Lucerne, Switzerland.
The locals were particularly worried because they thought the river would eventually enter their homes.
We kept our possessions on top so they wouldn’t float away. Additionally, we are continuing to be vigilant, said Sundar Dubey, 49, who lives close to the temple.
Source- Al Jazeera
