AWounded Civilisation
35 YEARS AGO IN INDIA TODAY OCTOBER 1 - 1 5, 1 97 7
One of the earliest civilisations known to man— Mohenjo- Daro in the Indus valley— is gradually passing through its second, and what may be its final phase of destruction. The ominously steady disintegration of Mohenjo- Daro’s carefully preserved and invaluable ruins is, ironically enough, due to lack of international attention and funds for its maintenance and preservation. Situated about 200 miles from Karachi near the city of Larkana, Mohenjo- Daro is one of the most extensively excavated of the Indus sites, apart from being a major source of archaeological knowledge and tourist revenue for Pakistan. As a direct result of the lack of preservation efforts, the 240- acre site is facing the threat of a rapidly rising water table coupled with extensive water- logging and salinity. The second major threat to the site is the changing course of the river Indus on whose banks MohenjoDaro is situated. The Pakistan government made some efforts at saving the situation in 1974, when a controlling authority was set up for the preservation of the Mohenjo- Daro site. The authority, however, has been headless for the last two years, following the death of its original chairman. The preservation authority is slated to be wound up and the 4,000- yearold site will be handed back to the department of archaeology. It will be a sad commentary on our times if Mohenjo- Daro were to be lost to the archaeological world through lack of foresight, funds and interest.