Researchers stunned after discovering invisible threat surrounding iconic World Heritage monument: 'The public health implications … are huge'

An iconic World Heritage site is on the bank of an increasingly polluted river. 

What's happening?

The Yamuna is most polluted with microplastics along a 12-kilometer stretch near the Taj Mahal, according to a study by the Centre for Science and Environment, The Telegraph reported.

Textile fibers (57%) comprised the majority of the microplastics, while plastic packaging accounted for 36%. Black microplastics, mainly from tires, were the largest offender color-wise, at 27%. Yellow microplastics came in at 21%.

Nearby Hathi Ghat had the most polluted surface water, with 46 microplastics per cubic meter. The newspaper noted it is close to large-scale clothes-washing points and major riverbeds that drain wastewater.

"Our study, which has been ongoing since 2024, was undertaken at four points in the Yamuna — Poiya Ghat, Parvathi Ghat, Hathi Ghat and the Taj Mahal — both at surface water level and sediments. We found that microplastic concentration was highest in the river bed close to the Taj Mahal — 800 microplastics per kilogram of sediment," said Siddharth Singh, the deputy program manager of the municipal solid waste unit at the CSE.

The other measurements recorded 480-600 microplastics per kilogram of sediment.

Why is this important?

Kalyan Rudra, chairman of the pollution control board in Bengal and a river expert, told The Telegraph that the agency hasn't conducted any studies but another analysis showed that the Ganga in Bengal contained 428 microplastics per kilogram of sediment. "It's a problem everywhere. … We are planning to assess the microplastic level soon in various rivers," he said.

Arunabha Majumdar, a retired director of the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, added: "The public health implications of the findings are huge. Besides having a direct impact, microplastics act as a vehicle for toxic chemicals and even pathogens to enter our system. The findings near the Taj Mahal assume enormous importance also from the standpoint of drinking water supplies from the Yamuna and the fishing being done in the region."

Microplastics pose a direct threat to human health, infiltrating organs including the brain and stunting fetal and childhood development. These and other public health risks are mounting as researchers find more and more fragments, smaller than five millimeters, from the depths of the ocean to the highest mountaintops.

What's being done about the microplastic problem?

The only way to curb the issue is to cut plastic production and consumption. Global plastic production doubled from 2000 to 2019, and waste is set to triple by 2060, according to researchers.

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That's because all kinds of products are made and/or packaged with plastic. Using less of it means ditching plastic water bottles, grocery bags, and food containers. Coffee pods, cleaning products, and even dryer sheets contribute to the problem.

Make an even bigger impact by supporting companies that reduce plastic packaging and work toward alternatives that don't harm people or pollute the environment. Scientists — and even students — are also working to develop bio-based solutions to this waste and pollution crisis.

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