International agencies to impart training in protection of heritage sites

KOCHI: The Muziris Heritage Project (MHP), in association with the International Centre for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), will train volunteers in the state in protecting cultural heritage sites during natural calamities.

The team from ICCROM and ICOMOS, which are agencies under UNESCO for the conservation of heritage sites across the globe, will arrive at Paravoor on October 8 and also go to Aranmula to assess the damage to heritage sites and objects.

Sources with MHP said a workshop will be held in which training on restoring and protecting heritage centres and monuments during the floods will be given to around 40 volunteers. The workshop is named ‘First Aid and Risk Reduction for Cultural Heritage in Kerala’.  “The vice-president and top officers of ICCROM and ICOMOS will reach the state on October 8. The four-day workshop will conclude on October 11. The team will also travel to Aranmula where heritage products like Aranmula mirror were severely affected in the floods,” said sources.

“The services of the volunteers can be utilised for protecting heritage projects in Muziris and Alappuzha. The recent floods have necessitated the need for a dedicated team which can act when the natural disaster strikes heritage sites,” the sources said.

P M Noushad, MHP managing director, said the matter is under discussion and more information can be provided in the coming days. Several monuments as part of the MHP were affected during the recent floods. The restoration work of Paliam Palace is still on.