RECENTLY, the prime minister visited Karachi to lay the foundation stone of another Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project. Addressing the audience on the occasion, he discussed various issues related to completion of KCR and K-IV water project, and talked about the importance of the metropolitan city in the economic development of the country.

He asked the Sindh chief minister to revisit the policy on the development of the Bundle Island, reiterating that the development work along the island would bring prosperity, economic uplift and employment for the local people.

The federal government has proposed to work on a $50 billion housing project on the island, which is said to be a threat to mangroves and loss of biodiversity in the area. We are aware that changing weather patterns have large consequences on the environment across the world, in general, and Pakistan, in particular.

Even during the current session of the United Nations General Assembly, the issue of climate change was discussed, and every country has certain responsibilities to follow and minimise the use of fossil fuels, such as coal, petrol and natural gas.

The global warming issue is real and Pakistan is one of the top countries in Asia and fourth in the world which has been greatly affected by changing weather patterns owing to global warming. The development of a housing project on the island will threaten marine life and mangroves, and there will be loss of biodiversity.

As Karachi is already affected by severe monsoon precipitation, if such a housing project is developed, it will lead to worse consequences, further polluting the environment in Karachi.

As the federal government is also focussing on building a green Pakistan, it is the need of the hour to go for plantation of more trees on Karachi’s sea coast instead of building concrete structures.

It will not only save the metropolis’ environment, but also support the prime minister’s Billion Tree Tsunami Project, and will save the natural island from being converted into a concrete jungle so close to another concrete jungle which Karachi already is.

The Bundle Island, which is natural and supports aquatic life, has a lot of potential for growing more mangroves, which are vital for the ecosystem. Therefore, it would be better for the federal government if, instead of convincing the Sindh government for converting this island into a concrete jungle, it grows more mangroves along Karachi’s coastal areas, and quits its plans of raising structures on the island.

Bilawal Hussain
Khairpur Mirs

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2021