During the flood, I was able to kayak down paved roads that had once been ancient canals. I could not help but think that modernisation had exacerbated the damage.
The ancient city had been designed in response to the inevitable seasonal flooding. Locals dug canals for transport and to move excessive water toward areas where it could be stored for times of drought. These arteries were frequently dredged as people used them daily by boat.
The city walls helped to protect residents from rising flood levels. Houses were built on stilts high above the ground. The ancient temples were raised on mounds, and people could seek refuge in them during times of floods.
In contrast, the modern city is not set up to survive large-scale flooding. Many canals are blocked or landlocked by dirt bridges and paved roads.
Other canals have filled with hyacinth and plastic bags full of rubbish – neither of which existed in the ancient city. Old reservoirs were filled in to create new neighbourhoods, and nearly all traces of the city walls have been toppled.
New homes are often constructed at ground level, and few locals own boats any more. As a result, the damage is more severe than in the past.
Historic sites are further eroded by monsoonal winds and tropical storms. Rain and humidity seep into holes dug by looters.
Vegetation growth widens cracks in architecture, causing bricks to split in two and plaster to fall off walls. The ruins gradually shift balance as they sink in mud due to their weight. Maintenance of these historic sites is time-consuming and expensive.
Nevertheless, residents of the modern city often survived floods by seeking refuge at ancient sites. Many set up shelters on the higher ground of crumbled mounds that formerly functioned as temples.
Animals huddled on the dilapidated foundations of ruins. Long abandoned sermon halls (viharn) hosted families and their belongings. For these people, the value of these deserted ruins is unquestionable.
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