The question that arises: are those at the helm in this country aware of the gravity of the forthcoming catastrophe?
ISLAMABAD: Dr Asif Inam, an eminent Oceanographer and Director General of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), in a recent briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology spoke about the possible submerging of Karachi and other coastal districts into the sea by the year 2060, counting the potential damage that environmental changes could inflict on the country. It is a startling and scary disclosure. Dr Inam informed the august parliamentary body that some parts of Karachi have already gone under water while Thatta and Badin districts of Sindh could also sink by 2050. Professor Sajid Mir, head of the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology, called an emergency meeting to discuss the escalating threat of sea intrusion along the coasts of Balochistan and Sindh, as well as the post- and pre-Partition status of islands.
Commenting on the emerging threat, Science and Technology Secretary Kamran Ali Qureshi said it was an issue of grave significance. There is an urgent need to debate the issues of global warming, climate change and its impact on people. The scenario painted by experts is indeed horrifying. It is scary enough to send shivers down the spines of everyone living in the former capital and the economic hub of Pakistan and other coastal cities of Sindh. The question that arises is: are those at the helm in this country aware of the gravity of the forthcoming catastrophe? Are they taking adequate and substantive measures to deal with this gigantic threat that may engulf the residents of the sprawling city of Karachi and other coastal cities of Sindh and whose magnitude is beyond one’s comprehension?
Fazal Elahi
Published in The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2015.
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