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Moenjodaro (pronounced Mohenjo-daro), a world heritage site located in the Indus River valley 508 kilometers (316 mi) from Karachi, was built in the Bronze Age, 5,000 years ago.
“Incidentally, we have witnessed the massive destruction at the site,” says a letter from the Singh state’s Department of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities to UNESCO and signed by curator Ihsan Ali Abbasi and architect Naveed Ahmed Sangha.
The station was serving as a temporary shelter for residents whose homes were flooded in the area, the letter added.
“For humanitarian reasons, we have provided shelter in our rooms, parking lots, museum shops (and) on the museum floor,” the letter states.
Currently, an estimated one-third of Pakistan is under water from monsoon rains and melting glaciers.
Most of the Moinjodaro structures discovered in the 1920s are above ground and vulnerable to environmental damage. Pictures included in the letter from the site keepers show dry brick walls and mud layers.
The letter details some of the immediate steps the site team has taken to deal with the flood damage, such as bringing in water pumps, repairing brickwork and drains.
Several walls collapsed in the middle of the flood.
Sindhi Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Govt
But it is clear that these measures will not be enough.
Abbasi and the Sangh conclude their letter by asking for 100 million Pakistani rupees ($45 million) to cover the full cost of repairs.
Unfortunately, the guardians of Moenjodaro have known for some time that flooding could cause a serious danger to the site.
The importance of Moenjodaro as a historical and architectural site cannot be overestimated. In the year When it was added to the UNESCO register in 1980, the organization wrote that Moenjodaro is “the oldest planned city on the Indian subcontinent” and “provides a unique testimony to the Indus civilization.”
In its heyday, the city was a bustling city. There were sun-baked brick markets, public baths, a sewage system and a Buddhist stupa.
Crews rushed to cover as much of the area as possible with protective covers.
Sindhi Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Govt
In their letter, Abbasi and Sangah expressed concern that Moenjodaro could be added to UNESCO’s list of sites in danger, which the conservation body regularly updates to identify historic sites at risk of destruction.
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