Across various points in history, 7 master plans have been devised for Karachi’s development but implementation of these plans has faced difficulty as the city’s rapid expansion has outpaced the infrastructural services. Experts agreed that empowering institutions and collaboration across stakeholders is necessary to tackle these challenges as we look towards building a sustainable, resilient city. These ideas were discussed at a recent conference on “Strengthening Karachi’s Urban Resilience,” held at the The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi.
Various factors – such as encroachments and the erosion of green belts and public spaces, are degrading the city’s urban resilience. Statistics shared during the conference revealed that despite being one of the cheapest cities in the world to live, Karachi also ranks among the top 5 least livable cities, is highly vulnerable to climate disasters and has a high likelihood of floods due to climate change. The conference brought together government officials, urban development specialists, and environmental advocates to share their views on the status quo and their hopes for the future.
Khalid Hyder Shah Ahmed, Additional Secretary to Chief Secretary highlighted that local governments were being increasingly empowered financially and administratively, and being provided enhanced funding to meet the needs of the area as they arose. He mentioned that organizations themselves have undergone frequent evolution, but the local government system has remained vibrant. Provision of funds from the Sindh government is allowing local governments to also better address issues like encroachments – a major safety hazard. Asif Jaan Siddiqui Project Director of the Competitive and Livable City of Karachi (CLICK) spoke extensively on the need for systems that can enhance the monitoring and management of issues and suggested that a proper registration and census of the city would not only significantly improve tax collection but also financially empower councils and broadening their finances. He acclaimed services like Alertli, which empower citizens to identify challenges for redressal, stating that it can be extended to the tehsil level for better vigilance as well. Sadia Dada, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at K-Electric, extended this by saying that crowdsourcing can be one of the key steps to ensure hazards are reported and addressed in a timely manner. Such measures can also enhance community ownership and vigilance, creating better communities.
Shedding light on the state of emergency response, Brig(R) Tariq Lakhair, CEO 1122 emergency response team mentioned that the service receives 20,000 daily calls. Despite growing manifold in Sindh over a short time, Karachi still requires several private and welfare ambulance services alongside government efforts to meet the requirements. He remained optimistic that working together can grow the scale of operations and support.
Addressing the current state of monsoon preparedness Dr. Afia Salam, journalist and environment advocate, drew a critical distinction between “hot days” and “heatwave conditions,” the latter defined by sustained above-average temperatures as per the MET department. Understanding these distinctions and propagating them effectively to the public could ensure appropriate, contextualized solutions and mitigation strategies. These sentiments were echoed by Soha Macktoom, a research associate at Karachi Urban Labs, who emphasized the importance of moving beyond ad hoc fixes and exploring long-term, data-driven solutions tailored to the city’s diverse topography. These included forestry practices that adapted to the city’s available resources; she cited the example of Vietnam, where the government has stipulated a per capita green requirement in their climate action plan. A key component to the city’s development would be micro-planning which accounts for urban heat island hotspots.
A common point of agreement throughout the conference was the need for collaboration across all stakeholders including public-private partnerships. Zubair Ahmed Channa from SWEEP, a subsidiary body of the Sindh Government, highlighted the city’s frail drainage system, but also urged that we need to change our mindset and drive collective ownership of the city if we are to overcome its challenges.