MOENJODARO IS CRUMBLING AWAY

FALLING TOURIST NUMBERS, LACK OF FACILITIES AND NEGLECT MEAN THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IS TAKING A HIT

THE walk through Moenjodaro is lonely. Apart from the three accompanying officials, and workers helping with preservation, there are no other people in sight. It is hot, nearly 51 degrees Celsius on this early summer day. But locals say even the cooler months do not attract the crowds that once used to visit this archaeological site dating back to 2,500BCE in Sindh.

A well-planned drainage system is visible along the narrow streets as a witness to the skilled architects who once lived here. The “great bath” ruins in the centre of the city which, experts believe, people once visited for religious purification, speak to the complex social traditions of this ancient society. A tall Buddhist stupa overlooks the city as the highest structure on the site, the image of which can also be found on Pakistan’s Rs 20 banknote.

The Indus River flows nearby. It is known to be the reason for the establishment of Moenjodaro at this location, as well as, some historians believe the reason for its demise.

But the vestiges of this ancient city are crumbling, and not just because the walls are 4,500 years old.

Local officials are unable to provide an annual figure on visiting tourists, but everyone is affected by the trickle of visitors.

They say an accumulation of factors has contributed to this deteriorating situation. Travelling to Moenjodaro is not easy. There is an airport within walking distance, almost adjacent to the site, where the national carrier once operated two flights a day, but the airline cut this schedule by half and incoming flights are often delayed.

There is only one guest house on site for visitors, but problems with the electricity supply make it unattractive to tourists - in the summer, daily power cuts limit electricity in the area and adjoining Larkana for up to 21 hours at a time, which is a common issue in Pakistan.

But the situation is not solely nature’s fault. Nor is it only rooted in financial and infrastructural deficiency.

Culture and Tourism Minister Sharmila Faruqi explained that the number of visitors has dropped due to external factors as well.

“A lot of foreigners don’t come here due to the security situation in Pakistan. We need to get a hold of that. Accessibility is another issue. A lot of things are out of our control,” she said.

HISTORY NEGLECTED: Preservation of the ancient ruins is another concern for those charged with caring for the site.

Moenjodaro’s former project director, Qasim Ali Qasim, is concerned by the neglect and continued damage to the ruins and thinks visitors bear some responsibility for this.

There are signs posted throughout the site, informing visitors of the rules of conduct and asking them to refrain from touching and damaging the artefacts, but there is not sufficient staff to impose the rules upon those who would break them.

Moenjodaro is even losing its place in the education curriculum, Qasim said. PRESERVATION IS KEY: Back on the site, the temperature is unbearable in the summer heat.

But there is no respite indoors either because of the electricity shortage. Solar panels are used in Larkana and the rest of the province but provide limited relief as they are not sufficient to power large appliances like air conditioners for the duration of the power cuts.

Petrol generators are another solution, but most residents cannot afford them. Even on the government funded Moenjodaro site, the budget is insufficient for the fuel necessary to run the generators at all times.

“If you have electricity for just three hours a day, it gets very difficult to live here. There’s no wind, so keeping the windows open doesn’t make a difference,” explains Qasim. What is visible today represents only 10 per cent of the entire site. The rest remains buried. Officials are reluctant to unearth any more than the 225 hectares they already have.

Limited manpower and funding, and lack of awareness among visitors, make it difficult to justify the unearthing of more of the ancient city, said Qasim, who retired from his role in June.

This “civilised city” has witnessed its fair share of “interest” and controversies. The Sindh Festival, organised by the provincial government in 2014, reportedly resulted in some damage to the archaeological site, “alarming” UNESCO experts. But Qasim and Faruqi both said that no such damage occurred.

In another major incident, in 2002, robbers stole a set of seals from the on-site museum. While the alleged culprits were caught, the seals were never recovered.

The government is planning to build a new museum to house the vast collection of relics from the site, but in the meantime, after the robbery, archaeologists are no longer digging for new items.

Limited funding, falling numbers and electricity issues do little to motivate the staff who spend their days and nights in what once was a “hustling and bustling” city.