Moen jo Daro ruins threatened by floods

LARKANA: The spurs installed at the bank of the River Indus near Moen jo Daro have become weak so the flood is likely to cause damages to the archaeological site.

Around 900,000 cusecs of water is expected to enter Sindh through the River Indus on August 4 and August 5 and if the weak spurs fail to divert the flow, the floods may enter Moen jo Daro.

The four spurs cost Rs160 million and work like protective bunds covered by mud and stones.

Unesco and the preserving authority of Moen jo Daro had set them up together in work that lasted from 1985 and continued till 1990.

The site is located at the distance of only half a kilometre from the Indus River and even the embankments are weak.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority director Khair Mohammed Kalwar said that there were not aware of the situation at the archeological site and would ask the district administration and army to reach the spot.

In 1986, there was a flood alert at the site so the government built five spurs using funds from Unesco. The spurs were built on the bank of the river closest to Moen jo Daro so that they could divert the water.

Recently, the National Highway Authority (NHA) built a road from Larkana to Moen jo Daro using the filling at spurs Nos 2 and 3. As the filling wasn’t there to hold them, when the water pressure increased, the spurs started weakening.

Moen jo Daro curator Arshad Ridd said that officials at the archaeology department warned the NHA that removing the filling would create problems in the future but they paid no heed. They have also written to the irrigation department to take the necessary steps, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2010.