ASI carrying out repairs to plug seepage through Taj Mahal dome, will remain open for public
To address seepage issues, the ASI is conducting preventive repairs at the Taj Mahal in Agra even as the monument will remain open to the visitors. Water seepage was reported through the main dome of the World Heritage Monument last year after which some repairs were carried out. However, no such issue has been reported after that, ASI officials said.
'Preventive and corrective measures are currently underway and there is no indication of any threat to the monument or its continued public access,' an ASI spokesperson said.
On September 12 last year, a minor seepage was observed from the top of the main dome of the Taj Mahal during heavy and continuous rainfall. 'It was found that the primary source of the seepage was (from a) damaged pointing at the joint between the metal pinnacle and the white marble dome,' officials said, adding that this issue was immediately addressed.
Following the initial repair, a thorough inspection of the main dome was carried out by a high-level team of senior engineers and archaeologists from the ASI. This inspection involved the use of advanced technologies, including LiDAR scanning and thermal imaging/screening, officials at ASI's Agra Circle told The Indian Express.
The inspection report revealed moisture presence in main dome and the metal pinnacle, along with signs of minor corrosion and surface damage on its outer part. Based on the report, the repair work was started last month.
Currently, scaffolding has been done at the top portion of the main dome. Once the scaffolding is done, an assessment of pinnacle will be conducted, and repairs and preventive conservation steps will be undertaken, officials said.
Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
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ASI carrying out repairs to plug seepage through Taj Mahal dome, will remain open for public
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