KARACHI, Nov 8: Sensing that unguided development projects and urbanisation activities along the beaches and coastal belt of Karachi could pose devastating impacts on the ecosystem of the sea, a senior scientist, Prof Nayyer Alam Zaigham, has called for integrated research works that may help contain the damage.

Prof Zaigham, an expert on geophysics and environmental issues and a researcher under the Higher Education Commission, was delivering a lecture on the environmental impact of constructions on beaches and near offshore areas at a forum organised by the Urban Resource Centre on Thursday.

Like other areas, the urbanisation of reclaimed beaches also entailed complexities which could be efficiently managed by ensuring lesser changes in the coastal configuration, he said, adding that natural and man-made human settlements and industrial development needed to be studied minutely to avoid a worse scenario in the future.

He said that unknowing or deliberate narrowing of mouths of the Malir River and Korangi Creak, dumping of all sort of industrial and municipal effluents and wastes in the Lyari River had already done damage to the ecosystem of the sea, while new development right in the coastal strip was also appearing as a subject of deliberations and source of concern, he said.

According to him, Karachiites were almost close to exposing themselves to the sea-wave activities, including reduced deposition of sand in the absence of a breakwater, sinking of some civil structure and noted change of gradients along the coastal line.

The eruption of micro earthquakes of magnitude one to three during 1998 to 2007 in the Karachi region, mostly in the Clifton and Defence areas, was also an alarming matter, demanding thorough environmental impact study before embarking on various projects.

He recommended a set of research studies on historical and modern data on seismic activity in the area, establishment of seismic networks, geological mapping for urbanisation, development of a GIS model for Karachi, formation of guidelines for remedial and restoration measures, ecological changes of Karachi rivers and changes in the coastal configuration.

While taking questions from the audience, Prof Zaigham did not give a direct comment on the development of islands and waterfronts in Karachi, but hinted that a hazard was in offing due to such developments in Dubai.

He also disagreed with Zahid Farooq, the joint director of URC, that there was a need to make the issue of scientific studies on coastal areas part of political agenda of parties in Pakistan, particularly at a time when they were headed for a general election.

Dr Zaigham remarked that the scientific baseline preparation needed long-concentrated works, free of biases or exploitation of relevant quarters.