LARKANA, Feb 22: A portion of eastern wall of the first street of Moenjodaro had recently crumbled due to salt capillary action, a visit by this correspondent confirmed on Sunday.
Archaeologists said that it was a big loss because the wall located in the DKG area was unique in the entire Indus Valley civilization sites. The fallen bricks were seen lying scattered on the spot when this correspondent visited the pre-historic site, while some portions of the same wall were crumbling and about to collapse.
The department of archaeology has not taken any measures for the maintenance of the world heritage site. Around two years back, the chief engineer of the department, Mohan Lal surveyed and identified some 93 original walls which were leaning.
He expressed apprehension that damages could take place in the wake of rains and that happened in the recent rains when it virtually played havoc with the site.
Three leaning walls out of 93 have fallen so far while others are vulnerable to environmental conditions coupled with the fast increasing salt activity, sources said.
The site curator had informed the southern region director of the department of archaeology regarding the collapse of the eastern wall of the first street. He suggested that the department should immediately launch an action to save the structures from further damage.
The entire DKG area is facing a danger and structures can collapse at any time as the last year's rains had developed fissures, gullies, crevices and ditches and de-shaped their originality.
Even walls in the DKC area were seen leaning and some of them had developed cracks. With temporary artificial support, certain leaning walls have been saved from being fallen. However, the structure of well and drain in DKC area are fast decaying and walls in the area from where ring stones had been recovered had eroded and are about to fall.
The department is spending around Rs50,000 per month on only making payments to the night watchmen who look after the material at the abandoned tube-wells scheme but had not allocated funds to maintain these crumbling structures, the sources said.
A scientific laboratory set up at the site is without any chemist after the transfer of one to Lahore on Sept 15. An assistant archaeological chemist transferred from Lahore had still not joined at Moenjodaro.
