More needed for neglected Mohenjo-Daro: Pakistani daily

The magnificent ancient site of Mohenjo-Daro has been badly neglected, a leading Pakistani daily observed Wednesday, pointing out that much more needs to be done even though Rs.100 million has been allocated for it.

An editorial in the Dawn said it is at long last that a sum of Rs.100 million has been allocated to maintaining, conserving and building some facilities at Mohenjo-Daro.

"Much more is needed for the effort to be meaningful. The magnificent site that should have been the pride of Pakistan has been neglected so much that it was virtually taken off the tourism map for sheer lack of facilities to and at Mohenjo-Daro," it said.

Mohenjo-Daro is an ancient Indus Valley Civilization city that flourished between 2600 and 1900 BC. The site was discovered in the 1920s and lies in Pakistan's Sindh province.

The daily said what lies ahead is the difficult task of rehabilitating this ancient Indus Valley Civilisation site on the tourism map, with hopefully some money going to the critical head of conservation.

The historic remains have been damaged by a rising underground water table and high saline levels.

Mohenjo-Daro "lay unattended due to lack of initiative and funds on the part of the federal archaeology department, which was the erstwhile custodian of the site", it said.

The daily suggested that more needs to be taught in schools about the significance and the global appeal of the Indus Valley Civilisation besides encouraging field trips by students to the site.