KARACHI:
Housing Schemes are transforming the valuable and irreplaceable agricultural lands of Sindh into concrete jungles. According to a recent study, more than 16,803 acres of pure agricultural land in Hyderabad alone has been converted in housing societies. Sukkur and Nawabshah too are being urbanised rapidly. Moreover, in the last few months, several housing schemes in place of farmlands have been advertised in Karachi. The UNDP claims that Pakistan is urbanising at the rate of 3% per annum. In the process, it seems that the government is least bothered with the escalating issue.
The disastrous effects of turning agricultural land into housing scheme is not a new issue. Excessive urbanisation causes food insecurity, water depletion and pollution. Furthermore, unplanned urbanisation eats away fertile land, depriving farmers of their right to cultivate and in turn compelling them to migrate in search of new sources of income. Many may settle by building shanties on or along the natural water drains which blocks the path of rain water to travel. This results in severe flooding which the recent heavy rains in Sindh have grossly demonstrated.
There is an urgent need on the part of government to intervene and form assertive laws to prevent this transformation. There is a need to identify the rural hinterland as the ‘urban boundary’ so that ‘urban sprawl’ is prevented.
Shehri
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, February 5th, 2021.
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