COMMUNITY INITIATIVES

The process of teaching citizens how to contribute towards the betterment of their communities is referred to as citizen or community science. Studies on the urban poor have found that the main forms of resilience to flooding in these communities have been developed through collective action or social capital (Wilhelm, M). Social capital can be improved through external organizations and larger governments supporting citizens on the ground with technology, resources, money, food, and educational opportunities to participate in the creation of solutions that work (Wilhelm, M).

Orangi Pilot Project

he Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) has led the way for community-driven infrastructure solutions to preventing the devastating impacts of flooding in Orangi Town and other informal settlements across Karachi (Hasan, 2006). Beginning in the 1980s, activists began working on the lack of sanitation and started teaching residents how to invest in and install their own sewage pipelines. OPP has also initiated several programs ranging from womens’ saving schemes to micro-credits for water supply (OPP, n.d.).

Director of OPP Saleem Aleemuddin has stated that since the government receives nearly zero revenue from the informal sector, it pays minimum interest to the developments happening in the settlements (Reuters, 2016). Today, the OPP has helped install sewer pipes in over 90 percent of Orangi Town’s streets, all from a network collaboration by multiple non-government organizations (OPP, n.d.; Reuters, 2016).

The Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) also advises residents on how to design and engineer their informal settlement homes into high-rise, multi-family units (Hasan, 2006). Structural, plumping, and ventilation are key issues that need to be addressed, especially in a region experiencing environmental impacts such as flooding and extreme heat. Soak pits are porous chambers that allow sewage to absorb into the ground and are regularly used by informal settlements that do not have working toilets (Reuters, 2016).

In 2016, Sultana Javed’s children caught dengue fever after falling into the water of the soak pit and being stung by diseased mosquitoes (Reuters, 2016). This incident sparked outrage in the residents and mobilized them to form a coalition with more than 20 other families to install new sewage systems themselves, by hand. Residents worked directly with the OPP to receive design advice, engineering, and technical support in order to install the sewage system. A plan was initiated that let households share the total cost for the materials, which turned out to be roughly $630 (Reuters, 2016). The labor was performed by the residents themselves.

TECHNICAL TRAINING CENTER (TTRC)

The Technical Training Resource Center (TTRC) is a community organization working within the Manzoor Colony to mark, map, and photograph drain blockages. In 2021, the organization’s maps indicated that only around 40 houses needed to be removed to clear the drains, whereas the Karachi government indicated that thousands of homes needed to be demolished (Reuters, 2021). Thanks to this mapping project, more than half of the planned demolitions were halted in the Manzoor Colony. This sparks the question of if the government has other reasons behind wanting to demolish homes other than preventing clogged drains.

Building community resilience to flood hazards involves understanding the complex local interdependencies between resident social responsibility, physical characteristics of the flood, and the state of the built environment (Millions, 2011). Informal settlements in Karachi are at an increased risk of danger from flooding due to the lack of sewage and sanitation systems in their communities.

On top of the need for better infrastructure and sanitation systems, the need for more housing space is increasing as more flows of people move into Karachi. Arif Hasan, a leading architect in Karachi and a central figure in the OPP, thinks that new approaches to housing are needed. A key solution in his eyes is the local development of informal settlements by the community members themselves. Upgrading, as opposed to redeveloping, gives residents the opportunity to invest in their homes and communities, while simultaneously helping out new residents.

Karachi will also continue to experience new phases of growth and displacement, in large part due to the slow-onset impacts of flooding, drought, sea-level rise, crop yield reductions, and water stress. A report published by ActionAid, Bread for the World, and the Climate Action Network- South Asia (CANSA) estimates that by 2030, close to 600,000 people will be displaced from Pakistan – and without immediate action, this number could reach more than 1 million (Climate Refugees, 2021). This action is already visible in the programs and initiatives coming out of the informal settlements themselves. Coupled with the continued care for the mangrove forests, Karachi has a long but hopeful path to climate resilience.