KARACHI: Civil society members on Tuesday sounded the alarm on the rapid conversion of public parks into commercial ventures and its impacts on the environment and the ecosystem.

Speaking at a press conference from the platform of the Karachi Residents’ Committee at the Karachi Press Club, city residents, representatives of the civil society and well-known environment activists said as many as 13 parks in Clifton, PECHS and adjacent areas had already been converted into padel courts, commercial sports facilities and other profit-driven activities.

They said more parks were being handed over to private operators, which threatened to deprive residents, especially women, children and the elderly of essential green spaces critical for their physical activity, mental health and social interaction.

The 13 parks are: the ST-15 park and the ST-19 park, Clifton Block 1, the ST-13 Umer Sharif Park, ST-14 park and the ST-4 Park in Clifton Block 2, the ST-13 park and the Bagh Ibn-i-Qasim in Clifton Block 3, the Triangle Family Park in Clifton Block 4, the ST-30 Hosh Muhammad Sheedi Park, the ST-12 and the Bhagwan Das Park (where work is in progress) in Clifton Block 5, the Jheel Park and Hill Park in Block 6 PECHS and the KMC Sports Complex on Kashmir Road.

Karachi Residents’ Committee urges Sindh govt, mayor to stop conversion of green spaces in Clifton, PECHS, other areas into padel courts

The residents appealed to the Sindh government and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and other authorities to immediately halt the conversion of public parks into commercial ventures, citing severe impacts on the city’s environment, public health and community well-being.

They said that the commercialisation of parks not only violates urban planning principles but also exacerbates environmental degradation, increases pollution and undermines the city’s climate resilience.

Many complained about being disturbed by padel court sounds and traffic sounds and flood lights all night.

They also pointed out the lack of maintenance of parks and open spaces where without the protection of residents or senior citizens’ life none of these commercial developments are meaningful.

Architect and environment activist Marvi Mazhar spoke of the public-private partnership that has turned into “public pays and private gains”.

She said that the public is told by private companies while taking over their space that they are coming in to take care of their spaces. She explained that it was explained to her by an advocate that there are two basic kinds of parks. One is the city-level park, which is designed to have zones, a sports section, a children’s section and a town hall section, and it is used by the city. The other is the neighbourhood-level park, which the neighbourhood uses and the state maintains.

“But here the residents are complaining that they are continuously being disturbed by the noise in their neighbourhood parks, which also lack maintenance,” she said.

She added that the Sindh government is only interested in capitalistic pursuits and is not interested in the benefit of residents here. “Does our mayor love Karachi?” She asked. “If Karachi is that important to him then he should hold a roundtable meeting, be part of the discussion and take grassroots partnership rather than commercial partnership,” she concluded.

Rasha Tarek, a residents’ representative, said that Karachi’s last remaining green spaces were being taken away from the public and handed to private operators while the citizens suffer.

“We live in a city with one of the lowest green covers in the region. Karachi has only one to three square metres of green space per person, while the World Health Organisation recommends at least nine square metres per person,” she said, adding that Clifton has become a playground for the elite of DHA while depriving residents of their own spaces.

“Only those who can afford Rs7,000 to 8,000 per hour can play. And let us be very clear that this is not just happening in Clifton, it is happening all over Karachi. From Saddar to PECHS, from Nazimabad to Gulshan-i-Iqbal, parks across the city are being threatened, commercialised and slowly taken away from the public. This is not development. It is the displacement of people, of greenery and of public rights,” she said.

Journalist, filmmaker and athlete Madeeha Syed, a resident of Gulberg Town, said that as a filmmaker who documented Karachi’s 2015 heatwave in which 1,200 people died in just three days, it’s devastating to see history repeat itself, with more than “500 deaths last year”.

“In a city where only seven per cent of land is green and nearly 10 per cent of residents suffer from asthma, myself included, our parks are not luxuries, they are life-saving infrastructure. They protect the city from the urban heat island effect and clean the air of pollutants,” she said.

“Replacing them with private, profit-driven sports facilities strips away the shade, clean air and community spaces we depend on. As an athlete and as a filmmaker who has seen these consequences first-hand, I cannot support any project that comes at the cost of our public green spaces,” she added.

Member of the City Council Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Taimoor Ahmed, while criticising the mayor said, instead of standing with the citizens he chooses the land occupier’s side.

On behalf of the residents, environmental researcher and climate activist Ahmad Shabbar appealed to the Sindh Local Government Department to cancel all commercial leases and permissions granted for public parks.

He asked the mayor, Murtaza Wahab, to prioritise public interest and halt all commercial activities in parks and the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency to conduct environmental impact assessments for all affected parks.

He also asked the Commissioner of Karachi, Division and Deputy Commissioner (South) to ensure that public parks are protected for residents and accessible to all citizens.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2025