Insect attack on Taj Mahal: NGT notice to Centre, UP govt

New Delhi, May 16: The rampant dumping of municipal solid waste in Yamuna near Taj Mahal leading to stagnation of water in the river and consequent formation of greenish-black pigments on the iconic white marble due to breeding of an insect has caught the attention of the National Green Tribunal which on Monday (May 16) sought reply from the Centre on the issue.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notices to Ministry of Environment and Forests, Uttar Pradesh government, state pollution control board, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority and others.

The order came on the plea of environment activist and Agra resident D K Joshi who has claimed that dumping of waste in Yamuna has led to stagnation of the river and "consequently the explosive breeding of an insect called 'Chironomus Calligraphus' (Geoldichironomus), which is a biological indicator of water quality and localised water pollution."

Reffering to a report of the Archaeological Survey of India, the plea, filed through advocate Rahul Chaudhory, said that these insects are staining the walls of the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, greenish-black.

"School of Entymology, St John's School, Agra did a preliminary report on the insect attack to the Taj Mahal and found that the presence of the insect was causing damage to the monument," the plea said while seeking constitution of a Committee to look into the problem to prevent further damage to the river and the monument.

PTI