Fact Check: Will Mohenjo-Daro Be Removed From World Heritage List?

Larkana (Pakistan): Will Mohenjo-daro be removed from the World Heritage list?

Amid record rains and devastating floods in Pakistan, the archaeological ruins of Mohenjo-Daro were battered by record 779.5 mm of rainfall in the second half of August, resulting in significant damage to the site.

The Dawn reported, quoting sources, that several walls had fallen partially, including protection wall of the stupa dome.

Consequently, the department of Archaeology called for urgent restoration work at Mohenjo-Daro. If such work was not carried out urgently, the department feels the site could be removed from the UNESCO’s World Heritage list, the report said.

The site’s Curator reportedly wrote to the Culture, Antiquities and Archaeology Director on August 29 saying that they had put in efforts to protect the site with their resources, but other departments like Irrigation, Roads, Highways and Forest have to act as landlords and farmers have inserted pipes and released water into Mohenjo-Daro’s channel through openings in canals and roads.

Water had entered the campus, and then the site faced another emergency due to constant rise in the level of Indus.

Mohenjo-Daro, located at Larkana in Punjab’s Sindh district, was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980.