Water leakage in main dome of Taj Mahal due to incessant rain in Agra; ASI claims no damage to monument

Agra: The main dome of the Taj Mahal here witnessed water leakage due to incessant rain for the past three days which inundated a garden on the premises.

The purported video of the submerged garden on the Taj Mahal premises went viral on Thursday and caught the tourists' attention.

However, a senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Agra circle, said there is leakage in the main dome due to seepage and there is no damage to it.

Talking about the leakage in the main dome of the Taj Mahal, Rajkumar Patel, Superintending Chief of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Agra circle, told PTI, "Yes, we have witnessed the leakage in the main dome of the Taj Mahal. After that when we checked it was due to seepage and there was no damage to the main dome. We have checked the main dome through a drone camera." On Thursday evening, a purported video of 20 seconds went viral on the internet in which one of the gardens of the monument submerged with rain water. It caught the attention of the tourists, who visited the Taj Mahal and many shot video of it.

A local resident, who is working as a government approved tour guide, said Taj Mahal is the pride of Agra and the entire nation, adding it provides employment to hundreds of locals and those who are working in the tourism industry.

"Proper care should be taken of the monument because for the tourism industry people it is the only hope," said Monika Sharma, a government approved tour guide.

Agra witnessed an incessant rain from the past three days due to which water logging problem could be seen in most of the parts of the city.

One of the National Highways was choked with rain water, crops submerged with rain water and posh localities of the city witnessed water choking due to continuous rain.

The Agra administration has ordered the closure of all schools due to rain.