Mumbai’s 184-year-old Asiatic Library, which is home to around 2.5 lakh books, lost 500 books due to a leak. This leak took place due to the September 19 downpour. However, this was not the first time the library reported leaks, they experienced the same on August 29 and had reported the same to Public Works Department (PWD) to carry out immediate repairs.
Along with the affected books, a book of poems by English writer Robert Graves got damaged. Though the repair was done, it did not protect many of the library's rare books during the heavy downpour in the last week. Repairs and restoration were done in 2008 and the building's main hall was also renovated last year and was launched by CM Devendra Fadnavis in February.
The library which is headed by the bureaucrat Sharad Kale had pointed out new leakage points which affected the research centre, the library, reading rooms and passages, according to reports in Mumbai Mirror. The books which were damaged are now being dried under the supervision of conservationists. On the other hand, the PWD officers are planning to carry out complete restoration of the affected rooms.
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