Pollution & INSECT SHIT!
http://time.com/5262395/taj-mahal-india-change-color-supreme-court/
The Taj Mahal Is Changing Color. That Has India's Highest Court Concerned
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India’s iconic Taj Mahal has turned a sickly color. Its regal white walls have been stained brown and green by insects and pollution, and the country’s Supreme Court is urging the government to do more to protect one of the world’s most famous buildings.
Located in Agra in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the 17th Century mausoleum, famed across the globe for its white marble facade, has turned shades of yellow, brown, and green, India’s Supreme Court said, according to the Hindustan Times. Construction, increasing pollution, and excrement from insects drawn to the nearby Yamuna River are thought to be among the culprits.
“Even if you have the expertise, you are not utilizing it. Or perhaps you don’t care,” the court’s justices said, ordering the government to consult experts in India and abroad to address the issue.
The problem is not a new one. The government previously closed thousands of nearby factories in an effort to preserve the monument’s shining facade, the BBC reports. And the Taj Mahal undergoes periodic m&d washes to absorb dirt and other contaminants.
The Taj Mahal receives 7 to 8 million visitors annually, according to the Indian government, and is considering limiting domestic tourists to 40,000 per day in an effort to protect the nearly 400-year-old palace, The Guardian reported in January.
But those efforts seem to have done little to stop the discoloration, and the Supreme Court justices are giving Indian authorities a week to respond.
“We need to save it,” they said.
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a funeral memorial to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43967685
Taj Mahal colour change worries India Supreme Court
Image caption Students help clean up the Yamuna River, a source of pollution said to be damaging the Taj Mahal
India's Supreme Court has instructed the government to seek foreign help to fix what it described as a worrying change in colour at the Taj Mahal.
"Even if you have the expertise, you are not utilising it. Or perhaps you don't care," court justices said.
The court said the famous tomb, built in the 17th Century from white marble and other materials, had turned yellow and was now turning brown and green.
Pollution, construction and insect dung are said to be among the causes.
Justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta examined photographs of the mausoleum submitted by environmentalists and ordered the government to seek expertise from inside India and abroad.
The government has previously shuttered thousands of factories near the Taj Mahal, but activists say its marble is still losing its lustre.
Media captionPollution and insects are among the factors to blame
Sewage in the Yamuna River, alongside the palace, attracts insects which excrete waste onto the palace's walls, staining them.
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the city of Agra and is now one of the world's leading tourist attractions, drawing as many as 70,000 people every day.
Image copyright Archaeological Survey of India
Image caption Insect faeces are leaving green patches on the marble
The dirt problem is not a new one - several times over the past two decades or so the palace's white marble has been coated in a m&d pack in an attempt to clean it - but there are fears the problem is worsening.
Its most recent m&d bath began in January. Scaling the walls on scaffolds, workers plaster the surfaces with Fuller's earth, a m&d paste that absorbs dirt, grease, and animal excrement.
Think of a giant face mask, but for a palace.
The m&d is then washed off, taking the dirt with it. The current cleanup operation is expected to last until late this year.
Another Supreme Court hearing has been set for 9 May.
http://www.newsweek.com/indias-taj-mahal-changing-color-because-insect-faeces-and-pollution-908489
India's Taj Mahal Is Changing Color Because of Insect Feces and Pollution
By Sofia Lotto Persio On 5/2/18 at 1:01 PM
Prince William And Kate Middleton Visit Taj Mahal
Share
World India UNESCO River pollution
India's iconic white-marbled mausoleum Taj Mahal is changing its color, presenting spots of yellow, brown and green in pictures that shocked the country's Supreme Court.
At a hearing on Tuesday, Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta accused government agencies of failing to preserve the site and ordering them to seek expertise from abroad.
"Earlier it was turning yellow and now it is becoming brown and green. It is very serious. It seems you are helpless," the justices said, according to The Times of India. "Even if you have the expertise, you are not utilizing it. Or perhaps you don't care," they added, accusing the government of only seeing the monument as a money-making machine to show off to foreign visitors.
M. C. Mehta, the environmentalist lawyer who brought the pictures to the Supreme Court's attention as part of a 30-year-long battle to preserve the Taj Mahal, believes the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the government share a responsibility for the current state of the monument as they have failed to follow the court's previous orders.
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http://www.techtimes.com/articles/2...y-white-to-yellow-and-now-brown-and-green.htm
Taj Mahal Is Changing Color From Ivory White To Yellow And Now Brown And Green
2 May 2018, 9:52 pm EDT By Athena Yenko Tech Times
Close
The change in color of the Taj Mahal from Ivory White to green and brown had been the subject of a hearing in India. Justices believed that foreign intervention is needed to address the palace’s decaying color. ( Ludovic Marin | AFP/Getty Images )
India's Taj Mahal, an Ivory White-colored marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna River, has changed color through the past years due to pollution.
The extent of the damage brought by contaminants reached a point where India's Supreme Court has gotten involved in the matter.
Foreign Expertise Needed
In a court session earlier this month, authorities highlighted how the color of the world heritage site has already turned yellow in the past years and most recently has been changing to brown and green.
The palace, built in the 17th century, has been enduring the impacts of pollution, constructions nearby, and fecal matters from insects, which are living in the sewage of Yamuna River. The latter is of particular concern since the insects are now spreading at the palace's wall as well. They are leaving patches of greenish-black fecal matters on the marble walls of Taj Mahal.
These findings were highlighted in photographs submitted to justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta.
India's Supreme Court calls for the local government to seek foreign expertise to save the palace from further destruction. The court describes the Taj Mahal's decline in color as worrisome. It called out India's local government for not utilizing its own expertise or perhaps for being simply unconcerned about the palace's regression.
The Supreme Court has scheduled another round of hearing on May 9.
Why Is Taj Mahal Changing Color?
The problem, now being highlighted in court, has already been the subject of criticism against India's government in 2016.
At the time, environmental activists had already raised concerns about the insects invading the Yamuna River. The insects have been identified as Chironomus calligraphus.
At the time, activist DK Joshi lodged a petition in the National Green Tribunal, asserting that the propagation of the insects is destroying the beauty of the world heritage site.
The insects' stains are actually washable. However, the amount and frequency of scrubbing needed to clean the waste had also been contributing damage to the walls. A mixture similar to facial mudpacks in larger quantity was also used to clean the walls but it caused damage as well.
Chironomus Calligraphus
The species are ecologically important aquatic insects but can become pests when they come together in extremely high numbers. They become particularly a nuisance when they invade man-made locations.
In 2012, the insects caused significant economic impact when it was first detected in a wastewater lake at an industrial site in coastal Georgia.
See Now: 27 Most Inspirational And Motivational Quotes By Influential Leaders In Tech
https://hk.news.yahoo.com/泰姬陵-變色-印度法院要求政府找外援-020343958.html
泰姬陵「變色」，印度法院要求政府找外援
The News Lens
260 人追蹤
周雪君
2018年5月3日 上午10:03
文：周雪君
印度泰姬陵變色的問題引起當地最高法院高度關注，要求政府尋求外國專家協助。
位於印度北方邦亞穆納（Yamuna River）河畔古城阿格拉（Agra）的泰姬陵於1654年竣工，是當地最著名古蹟之一。它本是一座以白色大理石建造的陵墓，現在卻帶點黃褐色，甚至綠色。「元凶」包括歲月洗禮、污染和亞穆納河滋生昆蟲的糞便。
這不是最近才出現的問題。印度政府曾要求附近地區數以千計的工廠關閉以防止泰姬陵繼續變黃，不過，此舉無助泰姬陵回復昔日亮白光輝。最高法院的法官顯然認為政府做得不夠：
「即使你（政府）擁有這方面的專家，也沒有善用他，又或者你根本不關心這個問題。」
「之前是黃色，現在變成褐色、綠色，情況很嚴峻。你（政府）似乎束手無策。這必須補救，你可以尋求外國專家的意見，評估一下損毀程度，把它復修。」
泰姬陵「變色」，印度法院要求政府找外援
當局在過去20年曾數度為泰姬陵進行大清洗，最近一次在今年一月動工。工人以漂白土覆蓋泰姬陵的牆身，情況有點像一個巨型的漂白面膜，漂白土可以吸走塵埃、油脂、動物昆蟲排泄物等污迹。當工人洗掉漂白土後，泰姬陵可望回復光潔亮白。整個大清洗工程預期要到今年稍後時間才完成。
關注保育泰姬陵的社運人士在過去30年就這個問題進行多場訴訟，指控政府沒有真誠履行應有的責任，是藐視法庭的指令。社運人士又認為，印度的污染日益嚴重，即使動用漂白土也未必足夠。法院認同阿格拉的污染水平對泰姬陵構成嚴重威脅，並曾阻止當局砍伐泰姬陵附近10,400平方公里梯田區的樹木。
這篇文章來自" data-reactid="30">這篇文章來自
http://time.com/5262395/taj-mahal-india-change-color-supreme-court/
The Taj Mahal Is Changing Color. That Has India's Highest Court Concerned
0:39
/
0:52
You Might Like
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Final Trailer
'What Future Do We Have?' Caught in the Crossfire of Myanmar's Northern Conflict, Civilians See Little Hope
Four Skiers Have Died After a Snowstorm Trapped Them Overnight on the Swiss Alps
By Eli Meixler
May 2, 2018
India’s iconic Taj Mahal has turned a sickly color. Its regal white walls have been stained brown and green by insects and pollution, and the country’s Supreme Court is urging the government to do more to protect one of the world’s most famous buildings.
Located in Agra in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the 17th Century mausoleum, famed across the globe for its white marble facade, has turned shades of yellow, brown, and green, India’s Supreme Court said, according to the Hindustan Times. Construction, increasing pollution, and excrement from insects drawn to the nearby Yamuna River are thought to be among the culprits.
“Even if you have the expertise, you are not utilizing it. Or perhaps you don’t care,” the court’s justices said, ordering the government to consult experts in India and abroad to address the issue.
The problem is not a new one. The government previously closed thousands of nearby factories in an effort to preserve the monument’s shining facade, the BBC reports. And the Taj Mahal undergoes periodic m&d washes to absorb dirt and other contaminants.
The Taj Mahal receives 7 to 8 million visitors annually, according to the Indian government, and is considering limiting domestic tourists to 40,000 per day in an effort to protect the nearly 400-year-old palace, The Guardian reported in January.
But those efforts seem to have done little to stop the discoloration, and the Supreme Court justices are giving Indian authorities a week to respond.
“We need to save it,” they said.
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a funeral memorial to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43967685
Taj Mahal colour change worries India Supreme Court
- 1 May 2018
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Image caption Students help clean up the Yamuna River, a source of pollution said to be damaging the Taj Mahal
India's Supreme Court has instructed the government to seek foreign help to fix what it described as a worrying change in colour at the Taj Mahal.
"Even if you have the expertise, you are not utilising it. Or perhaps you don't care," court justices said.
The court said the famous tomb, built in the 17th Century from white marble and other materials, had turned yellow and was now turning brown and green.
Pollution, construction and insect dung are said to be among the causes.
Justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta examined photographs of the mausoleum submitted by environmentalists and ordered the government to seek expertise from inside India and abroad.
The government has previously shuttered thousands of factories near the Taj Mahal, but activists say its marble is still losing its lustre.
Media captionPollution and insects are among the factors to blame
Sewage in the Yamuna River, alongside the palace, attracts insects which excrete waste onto the palace's walls, staining them.
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the city of Agra and is now one of the world's leading tourist attractions, drawing as many as 70,000 people every day.
Image copyright Archaeological Survey of India
Image caption Insect faeces are leaving green patches on the marble
The dirt problem is not a new one - several times over the past two decades or so the palace's white marble has been coated in a m&d pack in an attempt to clean it - but there are fears the problem is worsening.
Its most recent m&d bath began in January. Scaling the walls on scaffolds, workers plaster the surfaces with Fuller's earth, a m&d paste that absorbs dirt, grease, and animal excrement.
Think of a giant face mask, but for a palace.
The m&d is then washed off, taking the dirt with it. The current cleanup operation is expected to last until late this year.
Another Supreme Court hearing has been set for 9 May.
http://www.newsweek.com/indias-taj-mahal-changing-color-because-insect-faeces-and-pollution-908489
India's Taj Mahal Is Changing Color Because of Insect Feces and Pollution
By Sofia Lotto Persio On 5/2/18 at 1:01 PM
Prince William And Kate Middleton Visit Taj Mahal
Share
World India UNESCO River pollution
India's iconic white-marbled mausoleum Taj Mahal is changing its color, presenting spots of yellow, brown and green in pictures that shocked the country's Supreme Court.
At a hearing on Tuesday, Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta accused government agencies of failing to preserve the site and ordering them to seek expertise from abroad.
"Earlier it was turning yellow and now it is becoming brown and green. It is very serious. It seems you are helpless," the justices said, according to The Times of India. "Even if you have the expertise, you are not utilizing it. Or perhaps you don't care," they added, accusing the government of only seeing the monument as a money-making machine to show off to foreign visitors.
M. C. Mehta, the environmentalist lawyer who brought the pictures to the Supreme Court's attention as part of a 30-year-long battle to preserve the Taj Mahal, believes the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the government share a responsibility for the current state of the monument as they have failed to follow the court's previous orders.
Recommended Slideshows
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/2...y-white-to-yellow-and-now-brown-and-green.htm
Taj Mahal Is Changing Color From Ivory White To Yellow And Now Brown And Green
2 May 2018, 9:52 pm EDT By Athena Yenko Tech Times
Close
The change in color of the Taj Mahal from Ivory White to green and brown had been the subject of a hearing in India. Justices believed that foreign intervention is needed to address the palace’s decaying color. ( Ludovic Marin | AFP/Getty Images )
India's Taj Mahal, an Ivory White-colored marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna River, has changed color through the past years due to pollution.
The extent of the damage brought by contaminants reached a point where India's Supreme Court has gotten involved in the matter.
Foreign Expertise Needed
In a court session earlier this month, authorities highlighted how the color of the world heritage site has already turned yellow in the past years and most recently has been changing to brown and green.
The palace, built in the 17th century, has been enduring the impacts of pollution, constructions nearby, and fecal matters from insects, which are living in the sewage of Yamuna River. The latter is of particular concern since the insects are now spreading at the palace's wall as well. They are leaving patches of greenish-black fecal matters on the marble walls of Taj Mahal.
These findings were highlighted in photographs submitted to justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta.
India's Supreme Court calls for the local government to seek foreign expertise to save the palace from further destruction. The court describes the Taj Mahal's decline in color as worrisome. It called out India's local government for not utilizing its own expertise or perhaps for being simply unconcerned about the palace's regression.
The Supreme Court has scheduled another round of hearing on May 9.
Why Is Taj Mahal Changing Color?
The problem, now being highlighted in court, has already been the subject of criticism against India's government in 2016.
At the time, environmental activists had already raised concerns about the insects invading the Yamuna River. The insects have been identified as Chironomus calligraphus.
At the time, activist DK Joshi lodged a petition in the National Green Tribunal, asserting that the propagation of the insects is destroying the beauty of the world heritage site.
The insects' stains are actually washable. However, the amount and frequency of scrubbing needed to clean the waste had also been contributing damage to the walls. A mixture similar to facial mudpacks in larger quantity was also used to clean the walls but it caused damage as well.
Chironomus Calligraphus
The species are ecologically important aquatic insects but can become pests when they come together in extremely high numbers. They become particularly a nuisance when they invade man-made locations.
In 2012, the insects caused significant economic impact when it was first detected in a wastewater lake at an industrial site in coastal Georgia.
See Now: 27 Most Inspirational And Motivational Quotes By Influential Leaders In Tech
https://hk.news.yahoo.com/泰姬陵-變色-印度法院要求政府找外援-020343958.html
泰姬陵「變色」，印度法院要求政府找外援
The News Lens
260 人追蹤
周雪君
2018年5月3日 上午10:03
文：周雪君
印度泰姬陵變色的問題引起當地最高法院高度關注，要求政府尋求外國專家協助。
位於印度北方邦亞穆納（Yamuna River）河畔古城阿格拉（Agra）的泰姬陵於1654年竣工，是當地最著名古蹟之一。它本是一座以白色大理石建造的陵墓，現在卻帶點黃褐色，甚至綠色。「元凶」包括歲月洗禮、污染和亞穆納河滋生昆蟲的糞便。
這不是最近才出現的問題。印度政府曾要求附近地區數以千計的工廠關閉以防止泰姬陵繼續變黃，不過，此舉無助泰姬陵回復昔日亮白光輝。最高法院的法官顯然認為政府做得不夠：
「即使你（政府）擁有這方面的專家，也沒有善用他，又或者你根本不關心這個問題。」
「之前是黃色，現在變成褐色、綠色，情況很嚴峻。你（政府）似乎束手無策。這必須補救，你可以尋求外國專家的意見，評估一下損毀程度，把它復修。」
泰姬陵「變色」，印度法院要求政府找外援
當局在過去20年曾數度為泰姬陵進行大清洗，最近一次在今年一月動工。工人以漂白土覆蓋泰姬陵的牆身，情況有點像一個巨型的漂白面膜，漂白土可以吸走塵埃、油脂、動物昆蟲排泄物等污迹。當工人洗掉漂白土後，泰姬陵可望回復光潔亮白。整個大清洗工程預期要到今年稍後時間才完成。
關注保育泰姬陵的社運人士在過去30年就這個問題進行多場訴訟，指控政府沒有真誠履行應有的責任，是藐視法庭的指令。社運人士又認為，印度的污染日益嚴重，即使動用漂白土也未必足夠。法院認同阿格拉的污染水平對泰姬陵構成嚴重威脅，並曾阻止當局砍伐泰姬陵附近10,400平方公里梯田區的樹木。
這篇文章來自" data-reactid="30">這篇文章來自
