The walls of the structure are about to fall as the plinth has caved in. Adjacent to it lies the bead-makers' kiln, where two huge pots, one red and the other black, lie partly exposed. Not realising its importance, visitors walk through the kiln, breaking some of the artifacts lying inside. Although three guards have been employed at the site, there is no one to keep watch at night. In the absence of any fencing, visitors trample upon and the structures.
Visitors are rare, and the watchmen simply sit inside, smoking beedis.
Ghelot said the work would involve underpinning sunken walls, waterproofing parts of the dock and other structures, and pointing and strengthening the brickwork. Considering that Lothal is one of only three Indian sites of the Indus Valley civilisation, the sub-continent's oldest, age doesn't seem the criterion by which ASI sets its priorities for site preservation.