KARACHI: Speakers highlighted the importance of making Karachi a greener city at a webinar titled ‘Re-planning Karachi – Vegetation and Nature-Based Solutions’ recently organised by the Architec­ture Department of the Karachi Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship.

Mahmood Akhtar Che­e­ma, Country Represen­tative of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was the first one to express views on the subject. He gave an overview of the IUCN. He said it came into being in mid-1940s and in Pakistan it started working in the mid-1980s. The union’s aim is to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature. It’s a membership driven organisation whose programme addresses three areas: conserving nature, equitable governance of natural resources and deploying nature-based solutions. After that, he briefly shed light on the work done by the IUCN around Karachi, such as the constructed wetland in Manora.

Architect Tariq Alexander Qaiser said it’s important that we look after our city. The first step in that regard is to improve our environment. The environment can be improved through nature. There are a lot of shortcomings (buhat khamiaan ho gai hain) in Karachi. Sadly, it’s our own doing. But the one thing that we can achieve easily is to make the city green by planting trees. How to do that? If there already exists a forest in the city, then should we save it or cut it down for society and the economy? Both sides’ arguments can be listened to. Sustainable harvesting, which is significant, has been happening for centuries. Very few people know that there are forests in Karachi spanning hectares of acres. At that point he showed a video on mangroves in Korangi Creek. Since 2011 he has been documenting mangroves. Initially he took their pictures and afterwards started to make videos. The first video was of Bundal Island.

Further in his speech, Mr Qaiser spoke on the Indus river delta. He told the attendees that the delta is one of Unesco’s Ramsar sites which is a protected heritage wetland essential for the ecosystem of the world. Our mangrove and delta area is the world’s largest mangrove system. Unfortunately we are cutting it and not taking care of them. It is important that within the site a marine protected wetland zone be recommended, he added.

Architect Komal Parvez said private projects have a limited scope but public projects reach out to so many people and give absolute joy and happiness to architects [who undertake them]. Though it can be painful to work on a public project because a lot of people interfere in it, one should keep trying. She appealed to architects that while they make money through private work, they should do public projects to get inner satisfaction.

She said in 2005 the heatwave in Karachi which took a big number of precious lives made many think that it happened because we’re not planting trees. People began to plant trees privately but it created frenzy. Then it was realised that there is a certain way to do the job: trees should be planted in those areas where they could be maintained. So she made a group of friends and colleagues and planted trees in schools and colleges where there was a maintenance system in place.

Shahzad Qureshi of Urban Forest Coalition spoke about the coalition and his initiative of creating an urban forest in the city four years ago that yielded great results.

Amra Javed of Shehri said it was in 1988 that she managed to save a park near her home. A couple of year later she joined Shehri and continued with similar work.

Climate activist Yasir Husain said the master plans that are made for the city are denied public participation.

Sameeta Ahmed hosted the event.

Published in Dawn, October 1st , 2020