Improving environment?

Karachi has only lost some of its green cover since due to development projects

Usually, Karachiites love basking in the warmth that Eidul Fitr brings, but the high temperatures this Eid meant that they were left sweating extreme temperatures on what was one of the hottest Eids on record. That Eidul Fitr this year fell on World Environment Day makes it fitting to recap the drastic change in environment the city has undergone over the past few years and what are the measures that need to be taken over the next few years. Karachi, of course, was the city that witnessed one particular extreme heatwave around four years ago which killed nearly 2,000 people in a single spell. Thereafter, there was some focus on improving the environment in the city. But few practical measures have been seen. Rather, the city has only lost some of its green cover since due to development projects.

There is more bad news. The federal government has now decided to cut out funding for the Greater Karachi Sewage Treatment Plan (S-III) from the public-sector development programme (PSDP) in the upcoming budget. This, environmentalists warn, would only lead to further degradation of the delicate marine ecosystem and environment of the city. The marine ecology of Karachi has already seen a number of disasters over the past couple of decades. From the continuous flow of untreated sewage from its teeming millions of residents to its industries to the oil tankers which have polluted its waters and beaches with oil.

Doing away with the S-III will be nothing short of calamitous, especially for a government which built a chunk of its political capital over its laser-focus on improving the environment and combating climate change. With the Sindh government having already proved itself to be tone-deaf towards the environment, it presented an opportunity for the PTI to prove it was a better option for the city of lights. The ball is now in the PTI’s court to show whether it means what it says or it is doing mere lip service on the environment.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2019.

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