An $84 million project to build a complex of shopping malls, eateries, a boat club and entertainment spots adjoining the Taj Mahal is threatening the 350-year-old monument by exposing it to possible monsoon flooding in the next few weeks.
The federal Government halted construction to narrow the course of the
Jamuna River 180m away on June 19 following media reports and protests, but experts said eight months of building work had led to 60m of the Jamuna being "constricted" with sand banks and sandstone walls.
"The building work can contain the water flow and cause flooding of the Taj's environs," said D Dayanand of the Archeological Survey of India, responsible for preserving the monument.
Water logging of the Taj's surrounding low-lying gardens could weaken the monument's foundations.
"If not removed, the sand could flow downstream once the volume of water rises, forming a dam that could ultimately endanger the Taj," contractor Kishen Singh Yadav said.
