4. CONCLUSIONS

- GUJJAR NALA -

Gujjar nala is a stream of 27 km long passing through Karachi, giving space to twenty eight settlements or colonies.

We are going to focus on Gujjar Nala because most of the problematic demolitions have taken place on this nala. We could find both official as unofficial sources of information from wich we could imagine the complexity of the framework we wanted to work in. The Gujjar Nala showed the perfect set of issues and potentials that inspired us towards our final poject.

As the operation of widening began recently, we took this as an opportunity to conceptualize and work out a project that would adapt to the current works.

We analyzed the Gujjar Nala, but keeping in mind that the problems we had mapped during the research, are not intrinsically related to the site, but to a larger spectrum of issues. Therefore, we chose to design a project in which both global and local scale could be matched, showing the potencials of local solution to global problems.

- SOLID WASTE -

We observe solid waste building up under bridges, this encroaches the stream and creates backlog from the drainage.

- SEWAGE -

Gujjar nala is infected and can lead to a variety of health related issues, from which many families have to spend high medical cost related to infections or other diseases passed on by mosquitos.

- PERMEABILITY -

Lack of soil permeability is enhanced by the building density of the site , very few public spaces are available and do not have nature.

- VEGETATION -

We conclude on a lack of shade and qualitative public spaces all along Gujjar nala. Poor vegetation creates the ideal ecosystem for heat island effect.

Sewage

Infrastructure Mismanagement

Solid Waste

Urban Floods Space appropriation

Uncontrolled Housing Relocation

Evictions

Migration of the informal communities

We observed and explained the loop linking both narratives, we mapped the correlations between the following main issues, being sewage, solid waste and uncontrolled housing. These actually enhance the impact of the yearly floods systematically closing the loop of problems for both the government and the vulnerable people living along the nala’s.

Heat accumulation

Heat radiation

Low income people displaced Chemical/bio-waste into nala Heavier rainfalls

Inability for greenery

Waste/Diseases spreading Chemical/bio-waste into nala Damaged buildings

Poor infiltration Waste backlog