The 2022 monsoon floods caused widespread damage to life and property as well as to heritage sites. The ancient site of Mohenjo-Daro was damaged so badly that UNESCO mobilized a $350,000 fund to save it.
Floods have been a constant for the people of the Indus Plain for centuries. However, the British intervention in the region changed the geography of the area, leading to more frequent and severe flooding.
The 1973 flood was one of the most devastating floods in the region's history. Till the water of the flood reached the province of Sindh there were already 2,000 causalities in the Punjab. Nearly one million tons of grains were destroyed in the region.
Another common issue that repeated itself in the floods of 2022 was the threat to Mohenjo-daro. Only recently an international symposium was conducted to find ways to protect the ancient site.
The precarious position of Mohenjo-Daro during the floods was again realized after 50 years. One wonders what serious steps were taken to protect the site between 1973 and 2022.
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