Who will save Karachi's green belt?
While International Earth Day was marked on April 22, just four days before that, the Climate Action Centre held an important session on saving Karachi's agricultural land in Malir. Otherwise, in the next few decades, the mega city would be uninhabitable.
Researcher Virsa Pirzado, activist Hafeez Baloch, and Geographer/Urban planning expert Akhtar Rasool were the speakers at the event.
Educationist Abira Ashfaq moderated the session, Malir at Risk-Exposing the Destruction of Karachi's Green Belt.
According to the CAC media release, the session aims to raise awareness and mobilise action against the rapid environmental degradation in Malir — one of Karachi's last remaining green belts.
The event highlighted the consequences of unchecked mega-projects such as Education City, gated housing societies, illegal mining, and industrial expansion that are devastating Malir's ecosystem, which has historically supported forests, farms, rivers, and mountain ranges.
"This isn't just about land," said a spokesperson for Climate Action Center Karachi. "It's about people, food, water, and the right to a livable city. From the indigenous farmers of Gadap to the delicate ecosystems of Kirthar National Park, our natural and cultural heritage is under attack."
In the same vein, Virsa has been involved with research and she shared her findings from surveying and interviewing the people of different villages in Malir.
" I saw the helplessness, there are thousands of villagers there, and they can't breathe because of the polluted air. We spoke to them and saw how to legally pursue this case, and we found out that the government has given the land to Education City, and they are building these campuses on agricultural land, destroying the natural ecosystem and the farming land.
"Similarly the waste from AKUH is being burned and disposed of in the incinerator there, and people had no idea what was being burned, their consent was never even part of the equation despite them bearing the brunt of the practice as their air is unbreathable now."
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Who will save Karachi's green belt?
While International Earth Day was marked on April 22, just four days before that, the Climate Action Centre held an important session on saving Karachi's agricultural land in Malir. Otherwise, in the next few decades, the mega city would be uninhabitable. Researcher Virsa Pirzado, activist Hafeez Baloch, and Geographer/Urban planning expert Akhtar Rasool were the speakers at the event. Educationist Abira Ashfaq moderated the session, Malir at Risk-Exposing the Destruction of Karachi's Green Belt. According to the CAC media release, the session aims to raise awareness and mobilise action against the rapid environmental degradation in Malir — one of Karachi's last remaining green belts. The event highlighted the consequences of unchecked mega-projects such as Education City, gated housing societies, illegal mining, and industrial expansion that are devastating Malir's ecosystem, which has historically supported forests, farms, rivers, and mountain ranges. "This isn't just about land," said a spokesperson for Climate Action Center Karachi. "It's about people, food, water, and the right to a livable city. From the indigenous farmers of Gadap to the delicate ecosystems of Kirthar National Park, our natural and cultural heritage is under attack." In the same vein, Virsa has been involved with research and she shared her findings from surveying and interviewing the people of different villages in Malir. " I saw the helplessness, there are thousands of villagers there, and they can't breathe because of the polluted air. We spoke to them and saw how to legally pursue this case, and we found out that the government has given the land to Education City, and they are building these campuses on agricultural land, destroying the natural ecosystem and the farming land. "Similarly the waste from AKUH is being burned and disposed of in the incinerator there, and people had no idea what was being burned, their consent was never even part of the equation despite them bearing the brunt of the practice as their air is unbreathable now."
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