After a gap of 45 years, Yamuna river water has reached the outer walls of the Taj Mahal complex in Agra, flooding the garden behind the 17th-century white marble mausoleum. The last time this happened was in 1978
Officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which looks after the UNESCO World Heritage Site, however, said that it was unlikely that the flood water will enter the monument.
The floodwater suddenly reached the outer walls of the complex on Monday night after thousands of cusecs of water were released from Okhla and Gokul barrages in Mathura, officials said, adding around 350 bighas of standing crops have got submerged in Agra alone.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have also reached Agra to start rescue and operations.