Protecting Karachi’s Coastal Environment Impact of Land Based Activities - 17 June 2010

8/8/2019 Protecting Karachis Coastal Environment Impact of Land Based Activities - 17 June 2010

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Protecting Karachis Coastal Environment

Impact of Land Based Activities

Shehri-CBE17 June 2010


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Shehri-CBE

Shehri-Citizens for a Better Environment

is a civil society group

involved in various issues related to the

protection and conservation ofnatural and built environment

in Pakistan


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Is Shehri Anti-Development

Karachi will expand the 21st century due to population pressures.

However a city also requires :

Open spaces for recreation & fresh air. /Playgrounds for

children.

Schools, hospitals & other social amenities.

Libraries & theatres.

Transport systems & roads.

Adequate utilities & infrastructure (electricity, water, sewerage) At this moment the city is being abused by unlawful allotment of

unplanned land, arbitrary conversion of land-use and

construction of illegal buildings.


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Sewerage System in Karachi

Karachi gets 665 million gallons per day (mgd)

of fresh water

435 mgd of sewerage is generated daily in

Karachi

Only 17 % is being treated (74 mgd)

Daily over 360 million gallons of untreatedsewage pollutes the marine environment


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FROM KWSB WEBSITE

Sewage Treatment Plant Optimum

Design

Capacity (mgd)

Actual

treatment(mgd)

Sewage Treatment Plant-I SITE 51.00 mgd 20 mgd

Sewage Treatment Plant-II

Mehmoodabad

46.50 mgd 30 mgd

Sewage Treatment-III Mauripur 54.00 mgd 40 mgd

TOTAL 151.50 mgd 90 mgd


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Greater Karachi Sewerage

Treatment Plant (S-III) project The total capacity of the sewerage treatment

project is estimated to be as 500 mgd

The capacity of the of three existing treatment

plants will be enhanced from 151 mgd to 300 mgd.

A new 200 mgd treatment plant will also be

constructed at Korangi

A trunk sewer will be constructed in Lyari and Malir

A pipe sewer (900 mm to 1200 mm) will be laid up

to the Lyari-Malir Trunk Sewer.


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Reality On the Ground - 1

In 2009 City Council at the KMC Hall passed a

resolution converting over 40 acres of

amenity space at Sewage Treatment Plant-2 in

Mehmoodabad into a housing colony forpolitical supporters.

High Court issues stay order but work

continues contempt of court?


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Reality On the Ground - 2

As per a newspaper report on 16 June 2010

Around 150 acres near Pakistan Refinery Limited which

were initially earmarked for the establishment of Greater

Karachi Sewerage Treatment Plant S-III have beenallotted to a cooperative housing society (Ghaggar

Cooperative Housing Society ) whose members are

mostly provincial lawmakers.

Pakistan Refinery Limited had earlier cautioned thatexcept for industrial units, there should be no residential

places within a radius of 500 metres of the refinery

owing to the gases emitted by its chimneys.


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Problems of Untreated Sewerage

Sickness and diarrhea as well as ear, nose and

throat infections, acute febrile respiratory illness,

hepatitis, typhoid etc

Fish / Water fowl destruction due to pollutedwater.

Industrial waste water (laced with toxic materials

like Lead, Chromium, Arsenic and Cyanide ) usedto irrigate vegetables / fruits

Destruction of Mangroves


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Destruction of Mangroves (Hectares )

1950s1980s

1990s2004

260,000

160,000162,000

69,000

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000


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Do We Need Mangroves? Mangroves act as 'Iungs' in purifying air in coastal area, as

'carbon bank' to reduce global warming, as a 'coastal wall'

in protecting soil erosion and wind / storm / wave stress

In 1960, a tsunami wave hit the Bangladesh coast in an area

where mangroves were intact. There was not a single

human loss. These mangroves were subsequently cut

down. In 1991, thousands of people were killed when a

tsunami of the same magnitude hit the same region.

Majority of adolescent fish and shrimp breed in the coastal

mangrove forests that are being destroyed. Fish breeding is

affected, preventing our fishing industry from growing into

a $1 billion export industry (currently only $200 million)


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Reclamation of Land

A fundamental reason why large areas of land in Karachiare were flooded during rainstorms is the blocking of the

main outfalls that carry water from Karachis storm water

drains and nullahs into the sea.

The responsibility rests squarely on the rich and thepowerful. They have the clout to reclaim huge areas from

the sea quite often illegally to make money.

Karachi has three main drainage outfalls that carry the

citys sewerage and rain water into the sea. The threedrainage outfalls are the Kolachi Bypass, the Lyari river

and the Malir river.


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Mai Kolachi Bypass The Kolachi Bypass, which receives the Soldier Bazar and the

City Railway drains, has been reduced from the 300 feet that

it originally was to 30 feet.

This has enabled the KPT to reclaim considerable land for

commercial purposes while destroying the mangroves and

choking off the outfall. As a result the rain water, mixed with

sewage, backed up to flood Saddar and the business centre on

I.I. Chundrigar Road.

Solution Convert the Mai Kolachi Bypass into a low bridge

The land carved out by the KPT adjacent to the bypass willhave to be surrendered to the sea. It will save the mangroves.

It will allow a free flow of storm water from the Saddar and

Chundrigar areas It will not disrupt the road artery between

Boat Basin and Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan Road.


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Lyari River

The Lyari river has been affected by the construction of the

Lyari Expressway that has reduced the river to one third its

width. This links up with the Gujjar Nullah and the Orangi

Nullah and flooding in these outlets affected the western part

of the city such as Agra Taj Colony, localities around the LyariGeneral Hospital and others.

The design of the Lyari Expressway will have to be reassessed

and some solution found to the problem created by it.

Dredging the Lyari river to compensate for the loss of width bygiving it greater depth may not help if the sea level is higher.

The water will inevitably flow back into the drain.


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Malir River

The Malir river serves the Malir, Korangi, Landhi and

Gulshan areas and empties into the Arabian Sea via the

Gizri Creek. This has been affected by the encroachment

by the DHA at Qayyumabad that has halved the width ofthe Malir river. Here land reclamation has also narrowed

the outlet to the sea.

The encroachment on Malir river will have to be stopped.

Similarly the reclamation of land in the Gizri Creek willhave to be halted.


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Port Activities

The greatest pollution occurs at Karachi port because

of its high usage from vessels illegally pumping out

bilges and refuse at the port's oil terminal.

Sewage and garbage from the visiting vessels are oftenuncontrolled

The port is also affecting the environment with its

heavy shipping of oil and subsequent dredging

activities


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From GlobalSecurity.org - 1

The Karachi Harbour has become one of the most highly

polluted Harbors in the region.

Vessels berthed in the Harbor and Harbor infrastructure is

also being seriously affected.

Mild steel is used in the construction of most of PN vessels.

The study conducted by PN Dockyard Laboratory on the

rate of corrosion of mild steel shows that standard weight

loss of mild steel in the open seawater is only 5.48 gram per

square meter per day as compared to 9.20 gram per square

meter per day in the Karachi Harbour waters.


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From GlobalSecurity.org - 2

Therefore, an estimated value of around 33% loss of ship

life has been taken to arrive upon an estimated cost to have

an idea of indirect loss to PN.

Generally speaking, price of large naval platform in the

International market, is around US $ 300 Million. These

platforms are usually built for 25-30 years. PN maintains 08

large platforms and 06 submarines. Hence more than one

Billion $ US is lost due to the pollution

Polluted water also reduces the life of infrastructure i.e.

Jetties and docks etc.


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Thank You

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Protecting Karachi’s Coastal Environment Impact of Land Based Activities - 17 June 2010

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