The fast growing megacity Karachi as a frontier of environimental challenges

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Full Length Research Paper


The fast growing megacity Karachi as a frontier of
environimental challenges: Urbanization and
contemporary urbanism issues
Salman Qureshi

The megacity Karachi, as a globalized complex, is the business capital of Pakistan and had been the
federal capital until 1958. It is one of the most important cities of the world in terms of population,
economic potential and geo-strategic location. A growing body of infrastructural development during
this decade has thoroughly changed the landscape of the city. The recent development pattern
proclaims it as one of the most fashionable and futuristic global city. On one side, it accommodates
more than 539 squatter settlements and at the same time, the sky scrapers in the city serves as
business and technological parks for the country as a whole. Several researches, supporting
authorities and scientists, are focusing on megacities as unique ecosystems worldwide. Unfortunately,
Karachi seems abortive in attracting the focus of the scientific community. This paper aims to present a
synoptic view of this city by highlighting the contemporary urbanism issues like urbanization trend,
environmental quality (physical and built), socio-cultural imbalance, economic settings and urban
planning and it is further substantiated with an overview of geography and administrative skeleton. The
rebirth of the city’s landscape (after the administrative devolution in 2001) has been discussed
discretely. An effort has been made to represent explicit urban indicators which could assist to have a
generalized perception about the important elements and characteristics of the city. However, a major
approach is to underline the sensitivity of Karachi as a challenge for environmental and urban planning
and an acute opportunity of research, where the discussion embarks on the requirement of thorough
transdisciplinary approaches to study such urban systems.
Key words: Sindh, Pakistan, megacity, sustainable development, mega urbanization, urban regeneration,
urbanism.


INTRODUCTION
Megacities are special ecosystems with complex landuse that sometimes function with predetermined plans.
Nevertheless, it expands with paradigmatic phenomenon.
This expansion seems to be multifaceted more in
developing countries where the urban population is
increasing with substantial rate (Qureshi and Breuste,
2009). Demographic trend insinuates that urban areas
will increasingly become the primary habitat for humans.
Although their consumption of resources reaches into
diverse ecosystems near and far (Wu, 2008),
unfortunately, their role in global sustainability is not yet
recognized profoundly. Cities themselves present both
the problems and solutions to sustainability challenges of

an increasingly urbanized world (Grimm et al., 2008).
Specifically, the megacities are ‘laboratories’ in which
solutions for environmental challenges can and should be
developed (Kraas, 2007).
Karachi is a mushroom city, ever expanding over a
tract of sand and its edges submerged for extensive
distances to different depths at different states of the tide.
Karachi, the business capital of Pakistan, is the capital
city of the Sindh province. It has been referred to as the
“Glory of the East”, “City of Lights”, “Liverpool of India
and Pakistan” (Pithawalla, 1950) and the “Bride of the
cities” (Kazmi et al., 2008). The metropolitan area along
with its suburbs spreads over 3530 sqkm, having an estimated population of 18 million (CDGK, 2007). In
future, it could be the second largest city of the world
(Butler, 2005), because it is expecting to accommodate
27.5 million people in 2020 (CDGK-MPGO, 2007). It rose
to be the first airport and the third seaport of the
undivided India within a brief period of 100 years, having
been formerly established by Sir Charles Napier in 1843
(Pithawala et al., 1946). As a major revenue generator,
Karachi contributes substantially to the national
exchequer and the provincial revenues. Karachi, with its
enormous potential to serve the country, is now emerging
as a globalized complex in competition with other
regional centers of similar order. Numerous studies have
been conducted by several local researchers, but presented with specified objective approach. It is worth saying
that this city needs scientific studies based on strong
socio-ecological principles and transdisciplinary approach
to fulfil the need of ecosystem balance in the region.
The objective of the paper is to outline the state of
ecological and social settings of the city that could help to
alleviate the understanding of the environmental
challenges faced by this colossal ecosystem. The
ultimate objective is to highlight Karachi as an
unexploited opportunity of urbanism research which
needs a pluralistic socio-ecological framework to handle
the challenges of unprecedented urban growth. The
paper is structured in a form where it gives a glimpse of
its historical development, the physical and geo-strategic
location and demographic lineaments. It helped to
develop a synopsis of the socio-economic trend and the
infrastructural development of the city besides the
challenges faced by the physical environment as an
offshoot land-use changes. The paper concludes on
remarks made on the prognosis of the challenges faced
by the city and scientific researchers.

BRIEF HISTORY
A glance at the literature suggests that Karachi was setup
in 1728 - 29 by Hindu fishermen and merchants at the
northern coast of the Arabian Sea (GOP, 1981). A
historical account on Karachi has been reported by
Hasan (1999) starting from the year 1728, though (Khan,
1979) factually claims it as a city existing from Neolithic
age and pre-historic times. Former names of the city had
been ‘Kalachi Jo Goth
‘
or ‘Kalachi Jo Kuh’, which later
became ‘Kalachi’ (sometimes referred to as Kolachi) until
the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1839, the British
Army occupied Karachi and its strategic importance was
immediately identified as it became the first airport of the
undivided India (subcontinent) in 1843 and an important
administrative seat for the British Empire. The British
developed the irrigation system in the whole province
during these years. Later in 1870, it was connected to
Punjab with the railway link for mobilizing agricultural
products to the port and within the country. So, these
three main factors such as: irrigation system, railway link

along with air and sea ports became the reasons for the
development of Karachi as the main attraction for the
people around. In 1869, Karachi became the largest
exporter of wheat and cotton to Indian territories (Hasan
and Mohib, 2003). During the first and second world
wars, Karachi played an important role for the landing
troops and munitions of the British and also as
cantonments.
In 1947, the independence year of Pakistan, Karachi
became the first capital of the newly founded Pakistan
(West). From independence till 1951, migrants kept
coming and started settling into squatter settlements.
Within a span of four years, more than 600,000 refugees
moved-in from India and as a result, Karachi became an
ecumenical of cultures. During 1958, it was decided that
the capital should be shifted to Islamabad, but Karachi
remained the capital of Sindh province. Islamabad started
and completed functioning as capital from 1961, though
Karachi never loses its industrial, business and financial
capital character. Predominant urban growth was mainly
because of the migrants and refugees. In 1971, a huge
number of refugees migrated from East Pakistan (current
Bangladesh) and similarly in the 80s from Afghanistan.
Census in 1981 revealed a total of 1.72 million refugees
in Karachi with more than 2.15 million in 1998 (Hasan
and Mohib, 2003; GOP, 2000). Most of these migrants
are settled in the squatter settlements, which is itself a
challenge for the authorities.
Geographical settings
Location and administrative structure
Karachi, as a recently reformed district, lays
geographically in between 24°45’ N to 25°37’ N and 66°
42’ E to 67° 34’ E. It is situated 80 miles due west of
Indus river mouth. It is surrounded by the Dadu District in
the North and Northeast and the Thatta District in the
East, while in the South and Southwest by the Arabian
Sea and in the Northwest by the Lasbela District
(Balochistan province). Undoubtfully, it is one of the most
favourable geo-strategic situations, as a centre of three
great continents, Europe, Africa and Asia (Figure 1). Until
2001, Karachi was considered as ‘division’ and
comprises five administrative districts such as: Karachi
East, Karachi West, Karachi South, Karachi Central and
Malir (Figure 1). From August 2001, it has been
subdivided into 18 towns, each having Union Councils
(UC) as further subdivision. Karachi has total 178 UCs,
having population around 55 to 65 thousand people each.
It was promulgated by the federal government under
Sindh Local Government Ordinance - 2001 (NRB-GOP,
2001) and has provided unprecedented opportunity to the
City District Government Karachi (CDGK) to steer and
guide the growth of the country’s commercial and
business capital more independently. As such, the

organizational structure of the CDGK is quite detailed and
complex (Figure 2).
Physiography and climate
Physiographically, Karachi can be divided into two broad
categories: the hilly areas in the north and west and an
undulating plain and coastal area in the south-east
(Figure 3a). The north-western hilly portion is covered by
the Kirthar Range, which lies north-and-south and is
connected with the Pabb Range, which extends
northward and is parallel to the Kirthar Range. Most of
the hills range from 400 to 800 feet in height. From
Southeast of the city to the North, there is another series
of low hills, which is extending north-westward. These
hills are 96 to 200 feet high. Three major rivers such as:
Malir, Layari and Hub, flow through Karachi which marks
the physical characteristics of the city. The Malir flows in
the east of Karachi, the Layari flows through the heart of
the city and the Hub lies 30 km to the west and flows
along Karachi Lasbela boundary. South of the city is
connected with Arabian sea, whereas the east-south-east
lies in a vast expanse of mud-flats, sandbanks and
mangrove swamps, intersected by a complicated system
of ramifying creeks and inlets (Pithawala et al., 1946).
Karachi can formally be considered as a region with
temperate climatic conditions with generally high humidity
that intensifies the conditions for the dwellers, in which
the relative humidity varies from 58% in December (the
driest month) to 85% in August (the wettest month).
Karachi endures a long hot season from March to
October and in July and August, temperatures are
moderate because of monsoon winds. The winds in
Karachi for more than half the year, including the
monsoons, blow south-west to west, while the wind in
winter changes to east and north-east. Average wind
velocity in winter is 6.5 miles per h which in overall, is
considered as low wind. Rainfall in Karachi is meagre as
well as quite variable. Its geographical location is not
favourable to receive even sufficient seasonal monsoonal
rainfall. Average rainfall is less than 200 mm. Maximum is
received in July and August, but is irregular. During
recent years, a certain change in the rainfall has been
observed with an average of over 250 mm and it may rain
heavily within a short span of 48 years. There are some
local disturbances due to conventional currents and
contrasts of weather conditions, such as high
temperatures, diurnal ranges and differences in humidity,
which cause thunderstorms, dust storms and squally
weather during the transition stage between the two seasons, such as March to May and September to November
(Pithawala et al., 1946; Arsalan, 2002) (Figure 3b).
URBANIZATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC PROGNOSIS
It is a cosmopolitan city, inhabited by people with culturally