Agra
A year-long study by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will try to determine how to stop the green stains on the Taj Mahal that are brought on by the excrement of insects that live along the Yamuna river next to the monument.
The Taj Mahals brown-green patches, which were initially observed in 2015 and were caused by a tiny insect called Goldie Chironomus, were written off by the authorities as a passing problem. The spots were first cleaned with a mudpack, according to an ASI official, but they have been coming back every two years except in 2020 when Agras pollution levels were remarkably low.
According to Rajkumar Patel, an archaeologist at ASI, brown-green patches can be seen on the north face of the monument that faces the Yamuna River. He claimed that the chemical branch of the ASI had come up with a method for removing the stains caused by the insects excrement, which involved rinsing the area with distilled water and then wiping it off with a fresh cotton cloth.
Nevertheless, a long-term fix for this issue is now required because the stains are coming back every year. According to the ASI, when temperatures were between 28 and 35 degrees, the insects would normally appear in the Yamuna during the months of March through April and September through October. This year, however, the stains have persisted until late November, indicating an atypical rise in insects and their prolonged reproduction. According to Patel, the Chemical Branch of the ASI is conducting a thorough investigation to determine the conditions surrounding the insects proliferation, its breeding cycle, and how to stop it from harming the Taj Mahal.
