Agra: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said on Tuesday that though the overflowing Yamuna river has reached the outer walls of the Taj Mahal, the rising water level poses no threat to the iconic monument of love. The ASI said that earlier in 1978 and 2010, Yamuna flood water had touched the outer walls of the Taj Mahal.
According to ASI officials, the water level has crossed the ‘medium flood level’ of 499 feet. The water level reached 499.97 feet here on Tuesday, due to which water touched the walls of the Taj Mahal and submerged a garden behind it.
An official of the ASI’s Agra circle said the main tomb is built on a raised structure that stands on a ‘chameli floor’ and is built on a foundation of 42 wells supported by a sal wooden structure.
cre trending stories
Taj Mahal conservation assistant Prince Vajpayee said, “The Yamuna water touched the walls of the Taj Mahal in 2010 and before that in 1978. In the 1978 flood, water entered the basement rooms of the monument.”
“This year too, water has reached the Taj Mahal, but it poses no threat to the monument. The main mausoleum stands on a high platform. It stands on a jasmine ‘floor’, and in the foundation, it has 42 wells and Above the wells there is a structure of sal forests,” he said.
The Chameli ‘floor’ is made of red sandstone and white marble, the official said.
Recalling the 1978 flood, Agra city historian Raj Kishore Raje said, “That year, the Yamuna in Agra crossed the ‘high flood level’ of 508 feet, after which the floodwaters entered the basement (of the Taj Mahal).” entered the rooms. Jasmine flooring. The rooms were full of silt.”
ASI staffer Munawwar said that in 1978 the water had reached the Sandali Masjid at the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal and the Khan-e-Alam nursery at the western gate. Two temporary walls were also built to protect the monument from flood water. He said, one wall was built at Basai Ghat and the other at Dussehra Ghat.
ADM Finance and Revenue Harshvardhan Srivastava told that Yamuna reached 499.2 feet till 6 pm on Tuesday. He said that water has also entered the premises of Kailash temple and low-lying houses around the temple. He said that people living in these areas have shifted to safer places.
“The situation is under control. PAC, NDRF and SDRF are on alert. Divers and boatmen are on alert to monitor the situation. However, the water level is stable now,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has closed Mehtab Bagh for tourists as the river water has entered the garden complex. The entry of local people at the river ghats has also been banned. Three people were rescued after they got stuck in the river current in Bah block of Agra Rural.