KARACHI’S magnificent coastline is indeed a bounty nature has bestowed upon this megacity. Yet due to official negligence, the city’s marine ecosystem is being destroyed, thanks to the dumping of untreated sewage and solid waste into the waters of the Arabian Sea. Marine pollution has a debilitating impact on the flora and fauna that live off our coast, while also creating major human health hazards. It is out of concern for the marine ecosystem that a number of NGOs petitioned the Sindh High Court in 2017 to highlight the dumping of industrial waste into the sea. The case is still continuing and in the latest hearing on Tuesday, the court asked Sindh’s environment protection agency to verify if raw sewage was being discharged into the sea, and to confirm if the Cantonment Board Clifton had taken steps to stop the contamination of seawater. The petitioners had claimed during the hearing that contamination was continuing at Seaview, a popular beach in the city thronged by thousands.

According to the KWSB’s figures, the city produces 417 MGD of untreated sewage; it is safe to assume that much of this ends up in the sea, while solid waste, including ubiquitous plastic waste, also makes its way into the water through nullahs and drains. The impact this filth has on the marine ecosystem is considerable. According to environmentalists, several creeks and beaches where fish and other aquatic animals could once be caught are now devoid of sea life. Moreover, marine pollution does not stay in one place, and ends up reaching sea life further afield. This can end up contaminating the food chain, as fish end up on our plates. This poisoning of our marine ecosystem must stop. All of Karachi’s wastewater needs to be treated and solid waste should not be allowed to flow into the sea. Or else little will be left of our once bounteous coastline other than turbid, dead waters.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2023