Air pollution may discolour Taj Mahal, says government

Taj Mahal could get discoloured due to the adverse impact of air pollution as a research has found that the environment around the famous 17th century monument has high concentration of light absorbing particles, the government informed Lok Sabha today. Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar said analyses of particles deposited on marble surrogate surfaces show that a large area of its outer surfaces are covered with particles which contain substance that could potentially discolour its marble surfaces.

The research paper was published in the journal of Environmental Science and Technology, besides those of Georgia Institute of Technology, IIT Kanpur and Archaeological Survey of India. "It reported that ambient particulate matter contains relatively high concentration of light absorbing particles that could potentially discolour the Taj Mahal," Javadekar said replying to a question. The government has taken several measures for the protection of the monument, he said.

The tomb was built in the 17th century by Mughal king Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.