Vadodara: Kerala that has suffered immense destruction will soon get a helping hand from International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), India. ICOMOS president Dr Rohit Jigyasu said he will soon visit the state to assess the damage to its natural and man-made heritage.“Kerala has lot of heritage structures, including natural ecology. The floods have damaged a lot of them. ICOMOS will respond to the loss. I will be reaching Kerala after the water level recedes and the disaster relief efforts are managed,” Jigyasu told TOI.He added that he will first assess the damage caused to the important heritage structures, including temples, museums and other buildings along with natural heritage.Nearly 200 people died in the floods in which 38,000 people were rescued by different agencies. “Our heritage experts will connect with locals and collect information about the damage. We will then prepare a plan to restore the key heritage sites first. While the government will allot funds, we also have to raise money for the project from corporate sector,” Jigyasu, who was in the city to conduct a workshop about Heritage at Risk, added.The workshop and a public talk was organized by Heritage Trust to address a slew of issues like risks faced by heritage properties and restoration.During the workshop, Jigyasu, who specializes in conservation and risk management of heritage sites, talked with heritage experts, architects, those involved in construction and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials.Jigyasu said for him smart city doesn’t mean from western perspective but it should be based on our culture that is smart. He added that we are losing our heritage because old structures are being replaced by malls and big hotels in the name of development.On Monday evening, Jigyasu addressed a public lecture ‘Viraasat’ where he talked about his work on disaster risks to cultural heritage in different parts of the world.He said heritage should be seen as an asset that can contribute towards building resilience of communities through traditional knowledge systems that have endured the test of time.

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