Unprecedented floods that killed at least 1,300 people and inundated vast areas of the country have taken a heavy toll on Pakistan’s cultural heritage sites, prompting the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to mobilize emergency financial resources to restore these cultural treasures.
The United Nations, in a statement, said it had mobilized an emergency fund of $350,000 to help the flood-affected cultural heritage sites in Pakistan, notably the archaeological 2500-year old ruins of Moen jo daro near Larkana in Sindh and historical monuments of Makli in Thatta.
As a result of the floods, Karez in Balochistan, a traditional irrigation system on Pakistan’s world heritage tentative list, the Amri site museum and Sehwan folk and craft museum, both in the Jamshoro district, have also been damaged by the recent floods.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said the organization will provide assistance “to restore this heritage,” adding that “Based on needs, analysis conducted by our office in Islamabad, we have decided to mobilize $350,000 from our heritage and emergency funds to repair or protect these sites from further damages.”
According to the world organization, $150,000 will be disbursed from the World Heritage Fund to support recovery and prevention measures in Moen jo daro and Thatta world heritage sites and the sum will also include measures to mitigate the effects of natural disasters in the long term.Similarly, $200,000 will be disbursed from the Emergency Heritage Fund for cultural heritage, cultural practices and intangible heritage items at risk in Balochistan, Swat and Larkana.
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