Yamuna stretch near Taj Mahal chokes on microplastics, study finds

Lucknow: A new study has uncovered dangerously high levels of microplastic pollution in the Yamuna riverbed near the iconic Taj Mahal, raising red flags for both environmental and public health. The findings, released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), reveal that a 12-kilometre stretch of the river carries the heaviest load of microplastics among four locations surveyed along the Yamuna. The study, which began in 2024, sampled sediment and surface water from Poiya Ghat, Parvathi Ghat, Hathi Ghat, and the Taj Mahal stretch.

The sediment collected near the Taj Mahal contained a staggering 800 microplastic particles (mps) per kilogram — far higher than the 480 to 600 mps recorded at the other sites. While Hathi Ghat reported the highest microplastic concentration in surface water (46 mps per cubic metre) due to intensive cloth-washing activities and wastewater discharge, the Taj Mahal stretch followed with 17 mps per cubic metre, making it the second-most polluted in terms of water contamination. The data was presented at the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute in Nimli, Rajasthan, and has since been forwarded to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.