The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has launched conservation work at the Taj Mahal after the monument withstood heavy rains and rising floodwaters that touched its northern walls.
Though built on a high platform and beyond the reach of floodwaters, the Taj still faces the impact of rains, as seen in September 2024, when water seeped through its dome.
Presently, ASI teams are busy with the conservation of white marble minarets. Senior conservation assistant (SCA) at the Taj Mahal for ASI, Prince Vajpayee, said it was a conservation exercise called ‘pointing’ undertaken to fill the joints through mortar to check water seepage.
“Pointing is basic to any conservation task mostly undertaken after rains. The thermal screening and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology conducted a year ago (September 2024) had found water seepage through the Taj dome, mainly at points where metallic joints are placed, and remedial steps were taken,” Vajpayee said.
“We are proactive, although there has been no seepage during rains this year. However, the work that was undertaken last year for the Taj Mahal dome has been extended to the minarets this year,” he said while clarifying that it was a precautionary exercise and not in response to any damage.
It may be recalled that photographs of waterlogged gardens, reports of seepage through the Taj’s dome, and images of saplings sprouting from marble joints had gone viral in September 2024.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had shared the pictures on social media, questioning the upkeep of the monument which generates crores in revenue.