article: Over the years, the 17th Century monument has been threatened by pollution, unabashed construction, a crematorium and even bombs. The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi reports on five threats - past and present - to India's "monument of love". An invasion of the insect called Chironomus Calligraphus (Geoldichironomus) is turning the Taj Mahal green, says environmental activist DK Joshi. Mr Joshi has filed a petition in the National Green Tribunal - a special tribunal set up by the government to deal with environmental disputes - saying that the "explosive breeding" of the pests in the polluted Yamuna river is marring the beauty of the monument. "Fifty-two drains are pouring waste directly into the river and just behind the monument, Yamuna has become so stagnant that fish that earlier kept insect populations in check are dying. This allows pests to proliferate in the river," Mr Joshi told the BBC by phone from the northern city of Agra where the Taj is located. The stains the bugs leave on the marble are washable and workers from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have been trying to scrub the walls clean, but Mr Joshi says frequent scrubbing can take the sheen off the marble. He says the problem has a simple solution - just clean up the Yamuna. On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav ordered officials to "trace the factors behind the problem and find a solution". Built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth, Taj Mahal is often described as one of the wonders of the world. It is also India's biggest tourist attraction, visited by heads of states, celebrities and millions of Indian and foreign tourists every year. But pollution from the industries in Agra and a nearby oil refinery have seen the white marble yellowing over the years. To restore the monument's beauty, the ASI has been applying "mud packs" on its walls to draw out the pollutants. Manoj Bhatnagar of the ASI's chemical department told the BBC that the mud-pack is based on a traditional recipe used by Indian women from ancient times to restore a natural glow to their faces. "A layer of fullers earth - a type of lime-rich clay - mixed with water is applied over the walls and left on for 24 hours or more to dry," he said. "Once it dries, the mud is removed and the surface is washed with distilled water to remove impurities." The marble mausoleum had been given this treatment several times in the past: in 1994, 2001, 2008 and 2014. Mr Bhatnagar said the next round of beauty treatment will begin once the weather cools a bit - the heat wave currently blowing across India will dry out the mud-pack too quickly and render it ineffective. In November 2002, the government of the Uttar Pradesh state began work on a shopping complex near the Taj Mahal. The state government, led by then chief minister Mayawati, said the mall was being constructed to relocate shops that had been removed
summary: India's iconic Taj Mahal has been threatened in recent weeks by insect poo - environmentalists say that bugs from the polluted Yamuna river nearby are invading the monument, leaving greenish-black patches of waste on its pristine white marble walls.