Sindh government partners with Unesco to protect Mohenjo Daro
Modern methods to be adopted to save it from future extreme weather events
The Sindh government has joined forces with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to develop a disaster reduction plan to protect the world-famous archaeological site of Mohenjo Daro in the province from any future extreme weather events.
The decision to do so was reached as Sindh Culture Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah and provincial officials held talks with a Unesco delegation led by its expert in architectural conservation, Rand Eppich.
The delegation members informed Shah that modern conservation methods are required to protect Mohenjo Daro, in light of the damage sustained by the heritage site due to heavy rains and floods last year.
They suggested that the minister develop a comprehensive multimedia and digital filming record of Mohenjo Daro, and that details of the conservation work be digitally preserved.
They further recommended that the provincial authorities conduct a comparative study of Mohenjo Daro and other archaeological sites in the region of the same era. The delegation briefed the minister that Unesco’s expert in heritage conservation, Thierry Joffroy, had completed a survey of Mohenjo Daro to assess the damage caused by rains and floods.
Assessment report
Joffroy will soon present his assessment report to the relevant officials at the UN headquarters.
They said that a workshop had been organised in view of the recommendations contained in the report to train local officials on how to properly protect the heritage site from heavy rains by building a drainage system and taking other precautions against soil salinity issues.
The minister told the delegation that later in the year, an international conference would be held in Paris in collaboration with Unesco for the centennial celebration of the discovery of Mohenjo Daro. He said that the Sindh government had also approved a development scheme to build a research centre at Mohenjo Daro. He said the centre would serve as a platform to compile all the research work on Mohenjo Daro carried out in the past 100 years.