4 IMPACTS & SOLUTIONS

WHAT ARE INFORMAL RESIDENTS FACING DUE TO INCREASED POPULATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE?

A major hazard posed by climate change in the informal settlements of Karachi is water sanitation issues from drains blocked by garbage, sludge, and the informally constructed homes themselves (Siddiqui, 2022). These back ups are the main cause of urban flooding on top of climate change. Without adequate drainage, water builds up and subsequently destroys submerged homes, moreover, diseases originating in the stagnant water are rampant. The Karachi government has indicated that removing informal settlements would be required in order to widen these drains – more than

100 homes in Manzoor Colony have already been marked for demolition (Reuters, 2021).

To avoid evictions, informal settlement residents are working with non-profit organizations to map the drainage network and identify key obstructions that could be removed and allow the drains to function properly, therefore letting these communities stay put. Given the influx of migrants to the city, evicting people who are already residing in a settlement causes an internal flow of homeless people on top of the incoming migrants.

WHAT HAS THE GOVERNMENT DONE TO HELP INFORMAL VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE? RESIDENTS DEAL WITH INCREASING POPULATION AND

Karachi’s environmental disaster has been exacerbated by corruption, poor management of the nation’s water resources, lack of essential infrastructure, and inadequate administration which disproportionately impact the poor and middle class. Many buildings that were developed informally are unable to withstand heavy rain and flooding, and new developments are being created in areas that had already been impacted by the floods of 2010 (Kurtzer, 2022). Local governmental institutions have permitted the quick and extensive development of residential neighborhoods, apartment complexes, and commercial structures without consulting the offices and departments responsible for the projects, and without any monitoring of the projects’ environmental impacts or structural integrity.

The lack of contingency plans that the Pakistan and Karachi governments had upon the onslaught of the 2022 monsoon was severely felt. Relief camps struggled to accommodate the fleeing Pakistani residents and there was no comprehensive evacuation plan. Informal settlements struggled severely with flooding and associated diseases. Moreover, after the rains began, Pakistan’s top meteorologist was accused of theft and fired, leaving the region without crucial technical expertise. The estimated damage recovery for Pakistan was estimated to cost close to $30 billion, as Pakistan prepares for the UN Climate Change Conference, COP 27, in November of 2022 (Brohi, 2022).

Mangrove Forests Coastal Risk Reduction

The mangrove forests of the Indus delta are an important coastal risk reduction strategy that protects land from large waves, storm surges, tsunamis, coastal erosion, and sea level rise (Wetlands International and The Nature Conservancy, 2014). They are also a natural carbon sequester and globally account for nearly 15 percent of the global coastal carbon-storage capacity (Time, 2022). The Sindh Forest Department, World Wide Fund for Nature Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan), and collaboration with local non profit organizations have been able to grow the mangroves along the Sindh coastline to over 200,000 hectares, from only 46,000 in the late 20th century (Anadolu Agency, 2022).

In spite of the mangrove’s growth and importance as a climate change and flooding mitigation strategy, the forest’s ecosystem is dependent on a fresh water supply from the River Indus which is increasingly rare in the Karachi city region. Mangrove forests are also highly sensitive to pollution and unsustainable practices coming from urbanization, sanitation issues, and encroachment (Anadolu Agency, 2022). Given the rise in flooding and associated water sanitation issues in Karachi, the implementation of resilient sewage infrastructure is vitally connected to the health of the mangrove forests.