KARACHI: Sheltered from Karachi’s clamour, and extending for miles in a semi-circular shape, lies our turbid coastline with the deep waters of the Arabian sea brushing against its shores in their glorious fury. The Karachi coastline, measuring about 135 kilometres, embraces various beaches while extending unevenly from the Clifton side all the way to Kanupp, bifurcating at Hawkesbay and Sandspit.
The view at a glance from the Clifton side of the coastline is a mix of many emotions. Whereas the serenity of the deep sea calms weary nerves, the filth and garbage waste – closer to the eyes and nose than the waves – crudely jars all senses. Amid the filth and the refuse of human activity spread out on the oil drenched sands of the Clifton beach, children play and adults stroll about seeking healthy recreation. But there is nothing healthy in the surrounding atmosphere.
A little further into the sea and away from the shoreline, scanty bushes of the mangrove forests can be seen which once flourished in dense formations and were a prominent part of this scenery. The thick mangrove communities used to be visible from miles afar, stretching on both sides of the Native’s Jetty bridge and along the area which now forms the Boating Basin. This stretch is now connected through the Mai Kolachi Bypass which runs through the mangrove forests of the Eastern Backwater at the head of the Chinna creek. But now they lie raped and plundered by crude development carrying on unplanned and ad-libbed like the rest of Karachi.
With most of Clifton being part of reclaimed land, built gradually over years as the water levels receded and Karachi’s population grew, the present development raised on both sides of the Mai Kolachi Bypass should perhaps not be such a point of contention as it has become. As development for housing and other projects is necessary and it is natural that all available space should be utilized.
But experts of forestry have strong objections. Documented facts and study state that land reclamation in mangrove areas is completely at odds with mangrove conservation as they do not recover from human interference. Dr Qureshy, who has spent an entire lifetime studying the survival of flora and fauna in human habitat, puts it in a nutshell: “Mangroves are the lungs of a city. If you cut them up, pollution will increase, and as such the entire population will suffer from lack of oxygen.” With the Pakistan Medical Association confirming that high pollution levels are breeding all sorts of viruses, respiratory problems and skin diseases, the good doctor’s words ring true.
A recent study revealed that the marine life in Karachi’s coastline was contaminated with lead, which if consumed by humans through seafood, has been linked to anaemia, kidney failure and brain damage.
Four years ago, when development work had been sanctioned in the vicinity of the Mai Kolachi Bypass, a hue and cry had been raised by ecologists. They had pointed out that the mangrove forests which protect the feeder creeks from sea erosion and provide a diverse habitat for a complex and interdependent community of marine life like fish, birds, reptiles etc, will become severely threatened by the destruction and pollution that will take place due to development in that area. In response to the objections, President Musharraf had ordered the Sindh government to stop all land development work in the vicinity of the Mai Kolachi Bypass. But, despite the directive, bulk of the land on one side of this bypass has already been filled up and work on the other side is in progress. With the filled-up land coming nearer to the sea forest area, already piles of garbage have accumulated, caught in between the tender roots, wreaking irrevocable damage. Each root of a mangrove tree (which has one end above the water level and the other spreading waywardly down towards the sea-bed), is the life-line of one of the branches of the tree. If one root dies, one part of the tree dies.
These above-the-water roots need to breathe fresh oxygen. When a plastic bag or any other garbage material covers them up, they suffocate and die. This suffocation, resulting from pollution, has killed many mangrove bushes and will wipe out the remaining ones if things continue at the current pace. With no law or law officer to deter theft in the area, cutting of these trees for firewood too has reduced their size over the years and areas which were once thick and lush are now scraggly and foul smelling. Their pathetic appearance perhaps leading the witless to presume that they serve no purpose!
A coastal city is crucially dependent on these little islands of greenery, not only for maintaining ecological balance and preserving the circle of life but also for preservation and growth of marine life, which is subsequently a vital source of sustenance for fishermen. Marine pollution has leaded our fishery products — which once had a thriving presence in the export market — to get blacklisted internationally because of unhealthy levels of toxic found in our fish, shrimps and other seafood, once rated as top quality food products. And now the most crucial revelation regarding the function of mangrove forests has come to light, which is their role in safeguarding the coastal areas in times of a tsunami. In the recent tsunami tragedy it was noted that the destruction was least in those areas where the coastline encircled thick mangrove communities.
The absence of any official policy concerning ownership of areas covered under mangrove forests has been largely responsible for the destruction that has occurred in these communities.
Various marine agencies -– the navy, the KPT, the coast guards and other maritime firms have bickered on which land belongs to whom, but done nothing regarding its preservation. Zero awareness for ecology has always pushed such issues to the background. Our assemblies too remain detached on this subject. The fact that not enough greenery in the city is responsible for noise pollution , and in turn deafness, is never brought up in parliament, perhaps because it is a cause for the general good and has no vested interests. With no concrete laws against pollution, no fines or penalties levied on the public, the citizens also continue poisoning the environment in big and small doses -– be they builders destroying ecological environments or the public throwing plastic waste into water.
For legislators to realize the dangers of pollution and environmental destruction is an urgent requirement. If these issues are not looked into at all levels of governance and legislation against problems like the desecration of forests and trees are not formulated, development projects or alternative measures for prevention taken up by environmentalist NGOs will all eventually come to naught. And once again — specially for the people of Karachi (who are always last on the list of the government’s considerations) — the fallout will be severe.