Agra, July 25: The walls of Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world and located in Agra, is stained again with green and black patches appearing on the marble. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has blamed polluted Yamuna river, which has become a perfect breeding ground for insects to breed, for stains on Taj Mahal's marble walls. To clean stains, the ASI has started scrubbing the walls every Friday.

According to the ASI experts, excreta deposited by a particular species of insect, Goeldichironomus, is responsible for green and black patches on the walls of the 17th-century monument, Times of India reported. To clean stains, the ASI is using distilled water so that the marble surface is not damaged, superintending archaeologist (Agra circle) Vasant Swarankar said. After Qutub Minar, Ghazipur Garbage Dump, Tallest Rubbish Mountain in India's Capital May Rise Above Taj Mahal!

Swarankar mentioned that repeated scrubbing can damage the sheen of the marble of Taj Mahal, emphasising the need for cleaning Yamuna river. "However, we can't do anything outside the Taj Mahal as it is beyond our jurisdiction," an ASI official was quoted as saying. Earlier in 2006, ASI's science branch had also found that polluted Yamuna river was responsible for green patches on Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal's Colour Appears to Have Changed Because of Pollutants: Government.

"Small fishes that once kept insects in check are not found in the river now due to stagnation of river water. This has also disturbed the ecosystem," the ASI official said. An ASI scientist blamed phosphorous deposits for the growth of insects. He said ashes are dumped from a nearby cremation ground on the riverbed leading to creation of phosphorous and eventually breeding of insects.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 25, 2019 01:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).