The Taj Mahal Now Has Its Own Air Purifiers to Fight Hazardous Pollution

The Taj Mahal now has its own air purifiers as record-breaking pollution plagues New Delhi.

Although the famed site is 130 miles south of the city, in Agra, a private company is helping to combat the hazardous air situation by installing two mobile air purifiers (operated out of vans) on the property, CNN reported.

The precaution comes after a public health emergency was issued in New Delhi due to overwhelming smog.

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Back in 2018, the Taj Mahal made slight changes to help the issue including limiting its daily visitors to 40,000 per day and increasing entry fees — in order to decrease crowding and daily wear-and-tear to the historical mausoleum. It has an estimated eight million visitors per year, making it one of the busiest attractions in the world.

In addition, the Taj Mahal has been placing time limits for visitors, even going as far as charging extra entry fees for people who stay at the attraction for more than three hours.

Bhuvan Prakash Yadav, a representative from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) told CNN that the mobile air purifiers are only temporary at the moment, saying, “This is on a trial basis for 10 days but we are trying to get [the private firm] to continue it for some more time.”

He said that the air purifiers can filter up to “1.5 million cubic meters (53 million cubic feet) of air in eight hours.” Although CNN noted that there is no way to verify this measurement since the vans do not have sensors.

Even though two air purifiers at such a grand landmark may seem insufficient, the Taj Mahal measures 34,596 square feet and its white marble dome has a height topping at 561 feet, which is small enough to be covered by the air purifiers.