Taj Mahal goes green by insect poop

Well, you can’t just have one of the Seven Wonders of the World and bask in the glory forever. India’s pride, Taj Mahal, has faced multiple attacks since it was built in 1654. First, it was attacked by the Jats, then marred by the British army, and then it was stained by air pollution. The latest one to threat is insect excrement.

As astonishing as the source may sound, the reason is absolutely possible in India. Archaeological experts are of the opinion that there are swarms of insects that have been breeding in the Yamuna, which has seen rampant dumping of municipal solid waste for years, near the Taj Mahal, which is now threatening the intricate marble inlay work of the 17th-century monument by forming greenish-black pigments.

It has caught the attention of the National Green Tribunal which on Monday sought a 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.

Though workers clean the walls regularly, aggressive cleaning may further exacerbate the condition as regular scrubbing can damage the floral mosaics and shiny marble surface.


The insect comes from the genus ‘Goeldichironomus’, a type of elongated fly that resembles a mosquito, which is proliferating in the polluted Yamuna River. Environmentalists say that the river has stagnated to the point that it no longer supports fish that once kept the insects in check.

Agra environmentalist Brij Khandelwal, who has been connected for four decades to various environmental threats the Taj Mahal is facing, has reported that there is no water, only effluents and industry flowing down from Delhi to Taj Mahal.

The insect comes from the genus ‘Goeldichironomus’, a type of elongated fly that resembles a mosquito, which is proliferating in the polluted Yamuna River.

Girish Maheshwari, who heads the Department of Entomology at St John’s College of Agra, has stated that heavy algal growth and deposits of phosphorus from ash dumped by a nearby cremation ground “are the primary sources of food for this particular species of insect.”

A spokesman for the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, home to the Taj, said the state government was “extremely concerned” about the issue and declared that “people can rest assured that we will let no harm come to the Taj Mahal”.

“Officials have been asked to investigate as why there is a sudden increase in a number of these insects and how to control their population,” Uttar Pradesh state spokesman Navneet Sehgal said.

Indian authorities have earlier made various attempts to protect the monument including banned coal power generation from surrounding areas after smoke was blamed for yellowing the white marble.

This development would mostly affect the tourism guides who earn their livelihoods through this. Angry tourism guides have even demanded action, worrying that the negative press will jeopardise their livelihoods.

The Government has launched an urgent investigation. “This is like a fungus, growing on the walls. When they see this kind of thing they say ‘Taj is getting dirty!’ The dirtiness is increasing, that kind of green fungus is increasing day by day,” a tourist guide told the media.

But addressing the problem will require cooperation along the river’s length, meaning neither guides nor environmentalists have high hope for immediate improvement.