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Karachi's environment will continue to experience increased stress as long as the city continues to urbanize beyond the carrying capacity--01 its infrastructure services and natural resources.

The Land Use and Housing proposals of the Karachi Master Plan 2020 will shift some of the congestion and inefficient growth in the CBD/port area to more managed new development areas at the urban periphery. The creation of such a polycentric settlements will have a positive environmental impact to the extent that it will reduce the growth of resource demand and pollution discharge on the CBD/port area and redirect activities to planned areas with infrastructure to mitigate these impacts. This will be far more positive than allowing the CBD/port area to continue to follow current growth patterns.

That said, there will be negative environmental impacts in the proposed new urban centers to the extent that they will experience increased resource demand and pollution. The construction of new roads and building will increase impervious surface area substantially, creating additional run-off that, if not channeled and treated properly, will increase erosion and non-point source pollutants. Impervious surfaces also reduce groundwater recharge and increase the likelihood of flash-floods. By developing the proposed infrastructure services for sewerage and sanitation these impacts can be substantially mitigated. Treated sewerage and wastewater discharge will significantly reduce fecal coli form bacteria and nutrient levels discharged into streams and waterways, benefiting both public health and stream ecology. Environmental impacts of storm water drainage can also be reduced by constructing retention and settlement chambers at the release of storm water end pipes.

Where future housing requirements are accommodated by densification of existing residential areas, there will be increased demand for natural resources and discharge of waste. The environmental impacts of this can only be mitigated by executing infrastructure system upgrades as proposed. Also, in areas where flooding is experienced, additional secondary storm water drainage investments may be necessary.

The proposed mix land uses in new development areas will reduce commute times and congestion on roads.

§ Increase in Commercial Activity: Primary and secondary arterial roads, and main intersections across the city are becoming increasingly commercialized. Along major arterials, commercial uses such as shops, banks and offices are fast replacing existing residences on the ground floor. In some instances, commercial uses are also expanding upwards to occupy entire buildings. Along secondary roads, single story residences are converting to two- and three-storied buildings with shops on the ground floor.

 

§ This trend also seems to be affecting residential neighborhoods where large plots (greater than1,000 square yards in size) are changing from residentia1villas to offices or other commercial uses. This trend is changing the character of arterial roads and residential neighborhoods, and resulting in traffic congestion due to increased vehicular activity.

§ Expansion of Residential Development in Cantonment Areas: Areas such as the Cantonments and Defense, under the control of the defense authorities are rapidly undergoing development. Due to their location near the Arabian Sea and commercial markets, these areas are highly desirable residential enclaves. The boards that manage development in these areas have become substantial players in the residential real estate market~ and are developing and leasing serviced residential plots to non-military and military customers alike.

§ Growth of Industrial Activities Including Formal Zones arid Informal Cottage Industries: There is a general increase in industrial activities across the Karachi City District. Such increase includes the spread of informal cottage industries within residential, commercial and mixed use areas, as observed in Liaquatabad, Gulberg, Baldia, Shah Faisal, North Nazimabad, Orangi, and Korangi. Some of the industrial expansion is within planned areas, such as the proposed Textile City that would extend activities associated with Port Qasim to the east.

 

§ Conversion of Waterways to Open Sewers: Due to lack of an adequate sewage disposal system, substantial amounts of waste end up in the open storm drains and nallahs throughout the city. Most of these drains and nallahs flow into the Lyari and Malir Rivers that end up ,transporting this waste to the Arabian Sea. Not only is the waste a health concern, during storm events, it impedes the flow of water and contributes to localised flooding. This condition is further exasperated due to development that has encroached natural drainage nallahs and low lying areas which traditionally served to divert storm water away from built up areas.

 

 

§ Commercial and cottage industrial growth results in increasing the burden on the infrastructure networks, without any associated investment to increase capacity.

§ Continuing Horizontal and Vertical Growth of Katchi Abadis: There continues to be an increase of katchi abadis throughout Karachi. A significant and growing portion of the low income community in the city does not have access to public sector housing. To accommodate these persons and households, new units are being added to existing katchi abadis through additional land acquisitions and vertical growth. New housing is also being provided through continued informal sub-divisions of public land and rural areas, often mimicking formal sector.-KDA layouts with plot sizes typically ranging between 80 and 120 square yards. Housing is also being provided through informal construction in planned residential and commercial areas, especially in inner ring towns, and in labour colonies surrounding industrial areas.

§ The densities in these informal settlements continues to remain significantly higher compared to regular housing areas, the quality and coverage of services remains inadequate, houses are built as katcha structures. The growth of these types of informal settlements is visible in the towns of Orangi, Baldia, SITE, Korangi, Landhi, Lyari and Keamari.

§ Increased Foreign Developer Participation: There is significant interest from foreign developers in building high-income residential subdivisions across Karachi. The strong real estate market and the predicted increase in income­ levels due to growth of Karachi's commercial sector are some of the factors contributing to a continued demand for high-income housing. This demand is attracting foreign developers to invest in the housing market, as evidenced by a Dubai-based developer's proposal to build a US$43 billion complex on Bundal Island. Several other proposals at somewhat comparable scales are also being proposed in other parts of the city.

§ There are no expressways in operation in early 2007, but construction of the Lyari Expressway's (following the Lyari River) is almost complete. The road begins north of Karachi City Port and west of the central city, and runs northeast between Lyari and S.I.T.E. districts, between Jamshed and Liaquatabad, and between Gulshan e-Iqbal and Gulberg. The Lyari Expressway is about seventeen kilometers in length.

§ Similarly, the Northem Bypass road forming a wide semi-circle beyond the north of urban Karachi is almost complete. It connects the RCB Road north of Baldia with the NBP interchange on the Superhighway north of Cantonment. The RCD Highway provides an important, if often constrained; link it to Karachi Port Trust.

Other than the Northern Bypass, there are no circumferential hi9hways to speak of.

Three national highways connect Karachi to the northeast (Super Highway to Hyderabad and Punjab), southeast (National Highway to Badin), and the northwest (RCD Highway to Quetta). These all terminate at Karachi Port Trust.

The essence of the intra-city road network is a series of arterials emanating north and northwest from Saddar, Karachi's traditional centre and the town closest to the port. These arterials create a radial pattern that defines much of Karachi's urban structure today. While this provides the central city just north of the port with a certain degree of connectivity, a large volume of goods must move through the central city on the way to the port, and that causes congestion.

There are many connectors linking the radial arterials in vaguely circumferential pattern, but the links are not consistent. For instance, Sharae-e-Millat leads northwest into the signal-free corridor, which then becomes an important southeast radial leading into the city centre. There is no ring road today. SMS Road and Hakim e Sing Road have high volumes, but ultimately cover only a short stretch across Liaquatabad and a little beyond.

Table Traffic Volume Capacity

LAND USE AND HOUSING

Areas and Percentages of Various Land Use Type in the Karachi Urbanised Area and Karachi Master Plan 2020 Study Area

(Source: Karachi Strategic Development Plan 2020: CDGK – 2007 )