Agra - City of Taj
The City of Agra, population 948,063 (1991 Census), a city in the State of Uttar Pradesh and is located on the Yamuna River. It is best known as the home of the Taj Mahal, one of the most beautiful manmade structures on the planet. An important tourist location, transport hub, commercial center, and district administrative headquarters, the City of Agra is also known for shoes, glass products, handicrafts, carpets, and historic architecture. The present city was established by Akbar in 1566 and was long a Mughal capital. Under Shah Jahan (1628-58), the magnificent Taj Mahal (World Heritage Monument) was built. Other notable historic buildings are Akbar's fort, the Pearl Mosque, and the Great Mosque.
The Agra Municipal Corporation is divided into 25 wards and contains approximately 182 slums. Approximately 43% of the total population lives within these slums in squalid conditions and without basic amenities. The economy of the city depends mainly on Industry, Trade & Commerce, and, of course, Tourism. On an average day, the Taj Mahal attracts 8,000 to 10,000 tourists, 54% of whom are foreigners.
Agra's Environmental Concerns
1. The city regularly faces severe power breakdowns ranging from 4 to 6 hours per
day. The unreliability of the electricity supply has resulted in a large number of
diesel generators (D.G.) being used, which in turn has considerably increased air
pollution.
2. The water supply suffers from low water quality, contamination, and shortages. Every day there is a shortage of 50 million liters in the water supply, and about 40% of total water supply losses occur during transmission.
3. A sewerage network covers only 30% of the city area. Due to enormous increases in population most of the area is not served by this system.
4. The total air pollution in the city from domestic sources, D.G sets, industrial sources, Petha units, and vehicular sources is 51 t/day. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) from industrial and domestic sources is an important parameter.
5. Water quality in the Yamuna River is very low due to industrial and sewerage discharge. About 24 drains directly discharge effluents and sewage into the river.
6. The solid waste management in the city is very poor. Uncollected solid waste amounts to 450 t/day. The situation is the worst in the Petha industry area.
7. The city's poor Infrastructure gets overloaded during the festival season when the daily tourist inflow reaches about 80,000 to 100,000, resulting in various environmental problems.
The Agra Municipal Corporation is divided into 25 wards and contains approximately 182 slums. Approximately 43% of the total population lives within these slums in squalid conditions and without basic amenities. The economy of the city depends mainly on Industry, Trade & Commerce, and, of course, Tourism. On an average day, the Taj Mahal attracts 8,000 to 10,000 tourists, 54% of whom are foreigners.
Agra's Environmental Concerns
1. The city regularly faces severe power breakdowns ranging from 4 to 6 hours per
day. The unreliability of the electricity supply has resulted in a large number of
diesel generators (D.G.) being used, which in turn has considerably increased air
pollution.
2. The water supply suffers from low water quality, contamination, and shortages. Every day there is a shortage of 50 million liters in the water supply, and about 40% of total water supply losses occur during transmission.
3. A sewerage network covers only 30% of the city area. Due to enormous increases in population most of the area is not served by this system.
4. The total air pollution in the city from domestic sources, D.G sets, industrial sources, Petha units, and vehicular sources is 51 t/day. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) from industrial and domestic sources is an important parameter.
5. Water quality in the Yamuna River is very low due to industrial and sewerage discharge. About 24 drains directly discharge effluents and sewage into the river.
6. The solid waste management in the city is very poor. Uncollected solid waste amounts to 450 t/day. The situation is the worst in the Petha industry area.
7. The city's poor Infrastructure gets overloaded during the festival season when the daily tourist inflow reaches about 80,000 to 100,000, resulting in various environmental problems.
