Clearing work has been carried out in Bagan after designating 11 zones, and only two of them remain to be cleared, which is expected to be finished in two months, according to U Kyaw Myo Win, director of the Department of Archaeology and National Museum (Bagan Branch).
With the cooperation between the Bagan Heritage Conservation Group and the Department of Archaeology and National Museum, 11 areas in Bagan have been restricted to clean the climbers in three groups – one in the pagodas’ surroundings, one on top of the pagodas and one in the pagodas’ compound, while the work has been completed in nine of the 11 areas.
“There are 11 areas, and nine out of them have been completed. The remaining two areas are expected to be completed in the next two months. We also clean bushes and grasses in the vicinity of the pagodas. Just a one-off cleaning cannot remove them. As we make progress, we also have to deal with the re-growth of bushes,” he said.
There are many tropical plants, such as banyan trees, in Bagan and on the pagodas. Clearing methods include injecting chemical fluid into the roots and compressing the inner edges, and the work will continue to clear newly growing plants once all 11 zones have been completed.
“The maintenance section of the Department of Archaeology and National Museum (Bagan Branch) is always clearing the areas. Even on rainy days, security guards and engineers enter the site to start our activities as soon as the rain stops. They collect data and report back to the Bagan branch with priorities for pagodas that need urgent cleaning, slow cleaning or no cleaning. With the permission of the management, we continue our maintenance works,” he said. – MT/ZN/ED
