Story By: Lee Bullen,Sub Editor: Joseph Golder,Agency: Central European News

Indian officials are pumping freshwater into the Yamuna River so that it will smell better when US president Donald Trump visits the nearby Taj Mahal next week.

According to local media, officials in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh are pouring 14,160 litres of freshwater into the river every second.

The measure is to improve the “environmental conditions” of the Yamuna, which is connected to the River Ganges, according to senior engineer Dharmender Singh Phogat.

The water is expected to reach the city of Agra by the afternoon of 21st February, three days before Donald Trump visits India for two days.

The famous Taj Mahal mausoleum is situated on the south bank of the river.

Arvind Kumar, engineer with the Pollution Control Board, said: “[The measure] may not make Yamuna’s water fit for drinking, but could reduce the foul smell from the river.”

Despite the effort, it is unclear whether Donald Trump will visit the city of Agra at the moment.

The US president is set for talks in capital New Delhi and is then expected to visit Agra, however some reports said he may instead go to Ahmedabad on the north-western coast instead.

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