18:03 | Nazca (Ica region), Jan. 30.
Surveillance operations at Peru's famed Nazca Lines archaeological site will be strengthened, even at night, to avoid damage like the one caused by a cargo truck last Saturday.
The announcement was made by Johnny Isla, representative of State-run Decentralized Culture Directorate of Ica (DDCC).
Even though the hiring of further staff has improved surveillance at the site, he said, it is still difficult to monitor its total area of 450 square kilometers.
"While the Culture Ministry monitors areas with the largest concentration of geoglyphs every day, it [the site] may not be fully protected. Entry and transit are possible through valleys and streams where the archaeological area spreads out," he pointed out.
He went on to say aerial surveillance will include the use of drone technology.
"We believe surveillance must take place 24 hours a day. However, we are trying to implement the nocturnal one in order to cover emergencies that might arise at night," he stated.
According to AFP, Peru's ancient Nazca Lines were damaged when a driver accidentally plowed his cargo truck into the fragile archaeological site in the desert, officials said Tuesday.
The lines —considered a
UNESCO World Heritage site— are enormous drawings of animals and plants etched in the ground some 2,000 years ago by a pre-Inca civilization. They are best seen from the sky.
This is not the first time the site has been damaged.
In December 2014,
Greenpeace activists laid down a banner that read "Time for Change! The future is renewable" next to the Hummingbird geoglyph, causing permanent damage to it.
(END) LZD/MAO/RMB/MVB
Published: 1/30/2018