Notre Dame fire: Are Indian monuments prepared for similar risks?
‘Stone structures won’t catch fire’
A popular perception is that because most structures of historical importance are made of stone in India, they are not susceptible to accidents like fire. And while that may be true to an extent, many structures can have wooden scaffolding or may contain some other combustible material. So, the risk is not entirely mitigated, experts say.
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Little preparedness against natural disasters
RS Nair, the Trustee and Executive Director of Aranmula Heritage Trust in Kerala, was involved with recovering and restoring historical artefacts damaged in the Kerala floods of August 2018. He tells TNM that not just for accidents, the preparedness for natural disasters is also dismal when it comes to historical and heritage sites in India.
“There are no comprehensive concrete steps being taken towards preparedness or prevention of damage for monuments in India. Kerala is no exception,” he says. “Foremost, of course, is human life – which is fine – but monuments figure very low on the priority list of administration when it comes to disaster management, if at all,” Nair rues.
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Disaster preparedness guidelines not being followed
Bina Thomas, Kerala-based archaeologist and heritage consultant, says though the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has guidelines for preparedness at cultural heritage sites and precincts, they are often not properly followed or implemented.
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