Mangroves to the rescue

The Indus Delta once used to be home to thick mangrove forests stretching from Karachi to the Rann of Kutch. Today, only some pockets of these forests remain. Before the deterioration of the mangroves began, Pakistan was one of the largest mangrove countries in the world; these forests provided rich breeding grounds for fish, crabs and shrimps, in addition to protecting the coast from storms and tsunamis. Over the passage of time, the mangrove forests came under extreme pressure due to continuous seawater intrusion, lack of fresh water being released into the delta, pollution, cutting of wood for fuel and timber and grazing by camels.

The Indus Delta consists of several creeks, including those located at the Keti Bunder Union Council of Thatta District. This area once used to contain one of the largest tracts of arid zone mangrove forests. Keti Bunder town itself was once a prosperous place where the local people used to grow red rice and bananas; now their agricultural land has been swept away by the intruding sea or spoilt by water-logging and salinity. Eight species of mangroves used to grow in the area. Only three species have survived: Avicennia marina, Aegiceras corniculata and Rhizophora mucronata. There has been a gradual decrease in fresh water in the delta since hardly any river water is released below the Kotri Barrage and an increase in saline water has seriously constrained mangrove growth.

The erosion of the mud flats in the creeks (now full of seawater), has led to considerable migration of the local fishermen from the delta area to places inland and even further to Karachi’s coastal fishing villages like Ibrahim Hyderi. The World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan, which has been working in the Indus Delta for more than a decade, believes that the planting of mangroves can minimise land erosion and protect the coast from cyclones and storm surges, which will get worse with climate change. It has been supporting the local communities to plant mangroves, particularly in Hajamro creek, which is home to one of the last settlements at the mouth of the Indus Delta facing the Arabian Sea.

This area is most vulnerable to direct, strong waves from the sea and intense winds as well. Experts say that wave energy may be reduced by 75 per cent during a wave’s passage through 200 metres of mangrove forest. WWF-Pakistan has raised awareness about the importance of mangroves. Around 7,500 hectares of mangroves were planted by WWF-Pakistan earlier with the help of local communities and more recently another 525 hectares were planted through its “Building Capacity on Climate Change in Coastal Areas of Pakistan” project. Avicennia Marina, a local species that requires less freshwater, was mostly planted since it is more salt tolerant.

The good news from the Indus Delta is that WWF-Pakistan’s efforts have paid off. In December 2012, a delta-wide hazard mapping study was conducted in the area. This study covered the land cover/land use changes (forest changes, land erosion, etc.) through using satellite images and geospatial technology provided by the GIS lab at WWF-Pakistan. The results reveal a significant increase in the forest area of all the three project sites, i.e, Keti Bunder, Kharo Chan and Jiwani, where WWF-Pakistan is working. In Keti Bunder, the increase in the forest cover clearly seems to be the result of plantation activities thereby proving that Pakistan’s coastal areas can adapt to climate change if proper action is taken on the ground.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd,  2014.

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