Pakistan’s prolonged and heavy monsoon rains, which have so far killed more than 1,300 people and left millions homeless, threaten the ruins of Mohenjo Daro located on the Indus River in Pakistan’s Sindh region.

Mohenjo Daro is an ancient city built around 2600 BC.

Has been damaged

The flood disaster did not hit Mohenjo Daro immediately, but record rainfall has caused damage to the ruins of the old city, said curator Ahsan Abbasi.

Meteorologists have also warned that rain could continue.

– Some of the great walls, built nearly 5,000 years ago, have collapsed due to monsoon rains, Abbasi told the Associated Press news agency.

He said that dozens of construction workers under the supervision of archaeologists had started repair work. It is not known how much damage could be caused.

The site’s landmark – a Buddhist stupa – is still intact, Abassi said. A stupa is a kind of dome-shaped Buddhist worship building, a place of worship, meditation, and burial.

Old drainage

However the rain had damaged some of the outer walls of the stupa as well as some of the larger walls separating the rooms or booths within the building.

Abbasi said the civilization in Mohenjo Daro built an elaborate drainage system, which was essential to avoid damage during past floods.

But this year’s floods have been extraordinary. And although the floods have affected the whole of Pakistan, the province of Sindh is among the hardest hit.

Climate change is hitting hard

Pakistan accounts for less than one percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, but is now being hit by climate change.

Figures from the World Bank show that Pakistan emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per inhabitant.

In comparison, Norway emits 6.7 tonnes of CO2 per inhabitant, and the US 14.7 tonnes of CO2 per inhabitant.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called Pakistan’s flooding a steroid monsoon and warned the world against what he called a “sleepwalk” towards “planetary destruction”.

According to Pakistani officials, Guterres will travel to Sindh, but it is not clear if he will visit the archaeological site.