ISLAMABAD: In flood-hit Pakistan where an unprecedented monsoon season killed hundreds, rains are now threatening a famous 4,500-year-old archaeological site, the site official said on Tuesday. The ruins of Mohenjo-daro — located in the southern province of Sindh near the industrial River and a Unesco World Heritage Site – are considered among the best preserved urban settlements in South Asia. They were discovered in 1922 and to this day mystery surrounds the demise of its civilization, which coincided with those of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
The swollen waters of the Indus, a major river in this part of the world, have taken their toll as heavy rains and massive floods have devastated much of Pakistan. At least 1,325 people have been killed and millions lost their homes in the rising waters, with many experts blaming the unusually heavy monsoon rains on climate change. The floods did not directly affect Mohenjo-daro but record rains inflicted damage on the ruins of the ancient city, said Ahsan Abbassi, curator of the site. “Several great walls, which were built nearly 5,000 years ago, collapsed due to monsoon rains,” he said. He said dozens of construction workers under the supervision of archaeologists have started the repair work. Abbassi did not give an estimate of the cost of damage to Mohenjo-daro.
Pakistan’s Department of Archeology has called for urgent attention for conservation and restoration work at Mohenjo-daro, fearing that the site could be removed from the World Heritage List if this work is not carried out, the authorities reported. media. The site’s signature “Buddhist stupa” – a large hemispherical structure associated with worship, meditation and burial – remains intact, Abbasi said. But the downpour damaged some exterior walls as well as larger walls separating individual rooms or bedrooms. Abbasi said that the civilization of Mohenjo-daro, also known as “Mound of the Dead” in the local language Sindh language, built an elaborate drainage system, which has been critical in floods in the past.
Although the floods affected all of Pakistan, Sindh province was among the hardest hit. On Monday, army engineers made a second cut in an embankment at Lake Manacher, Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake, to release rising waters in hopes of saving the nearby town of Sehwan from flooding . Water from the lake has already flooded dozens of nearby villages, forcing hundreds of families to rush out of their mud-brick homes, many fleeing in panic.
The swollen waters of the Indus, a major river in this part of the world, have taken their toll as heavy rains and massive floods have devastated much of Pakistan. At least 1,325 people have been killed and millions lost their homes in the rising waters, with many experts blaming the unusually heavy monsoon rains on climate change. The floods did not directly affect Mohenjo-daro but record rains inflicted damage on the ruins of the ancient city, said Ahsan Abbassi, curator of the site. “Several great walls, which were built nearly 5,000 years ago, collapsed due to monsoon rains,” he said. He said dozens of construction workers under the supervision of archaeologists have started the repair work. Abbassi did not give an estimate of the cost of damage to Mohenjo-daro.
Pakistan’s Department of Archeology has called for urgent attention for conservation and restoration work at Mohenjo-daro, fearing that the site could be removed from the World Heritage List if this work is not carried out, the authorities reported. media. The site’s signature “Buddhist stupa” – a large hemispherical structure associated with worship, meditation and burial – remains intact, Abbasi said. But the downpour damaged some exterior walls as well as larger walls separating individual rooms or bedrooms. Abbasi said that the civilization of Mohenjo-daro, also known as “Mound of the Dead” in the local language Sindh language, built an elaborate drainage system, which has been critical in floods in the past.
Although the floods affected all of Pakistan, Sindh province was among the hardest hit. On Monday, army engineers made a second cut in an embankment at Lake Manacher, Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake, to release rising waters in hopes of saving the nearby town of Sehwan from flooding . Water from the lake has already flooded dozens of nearby villages, forcing hundreds of families to rush out of their mud-brick homes, many fleeing in panic.
