The soil and air of Karachi bears millions of lives. It is an undeniable urban jungle. This is the city’s grey is more than a colour; it’s the air, the landscape and a burden carried in the lungs of its citizens. It is the invisible toll paid for a massive city developing endlessly.
The lack of greenery and efficient infrastructure systems is no longer a table-topic, it’s a tragedy. Flowers are scarce, wires deter the sky and the skyline has a veil of dust. Although the Arabian Sea and few attempts of maintaining public parks over the years do provide some respite, the air quality due to pollution is well beyond healthy. The destruction of natural defences, like mangrove forests and green spaces, further add to its grey reality.
There’s a dire need for both immediate and long-term solutions: individual responsibility, awareness and engagement, wide-scale urban forestation plans, strict implementation of waste-disposal, pollution awareness, energy conservation and so on. While initiatives like the Karachi Climate Action Plan offer a glimpse of hope, the deficiency of greenery remains a tangible threat to the health and well-being of its citizens. This grey reality is the city’s paradox: a place bursting with life and lights, tragically losing its breath.
Aaiza Faisal
Karachi
