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Sugar Land City

Arif Hasan’s Views

(June 21, 2007)

Urban Development (such as Sugarland City) has to be based on some principles of sustainability (which also includes equity and justice). Four basic principles are given below.  

1.            Planning should respect the ecology of the areas in which the urban centres are located.

2.            Landuse should be determined on the basis of social and environmental considerations and not on the basis of land value or potential land value alone.

3.            Planning should give priority to the needs of the majority population which in the case of Asia are low and lower-middle income communities, hawkers, informal businesses, pedestrians and commuters.

4.            Planning must respect and promote the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the communities that live in the city.

If these four principles are not followed the city will not be able to withstand natural disasters; it will lose its natural assets; it will be divided into rich and poor ghettos which will be in conflict with each other; its landuse will be irrational and hence its transport systems will be inappropriate; and it will be socially fragmented and politically unstable.

In the coastal areas in question the requirements of four different stakeholders have to be reconciled with each other, on the basis of social and environmental considerations, with profit seeking international capital. These stakeholders are;

1.         The flora and fauna of the area. This consists of migratory birds, fish life and its nurseries, turtles, mangrove marshes (which are the outfalls of drainage channels) and mud flats that sustain fauna and flora. It also includes the potential of preserving some extraordinary scenic areas such as the region of the Hub Delta and the islands beyond it.

2.         Fishing communities that have lived here for centuries and whose folklore and festivals are recorded in texts as old as the 11^{th century and in Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’s Sur Ghato.}

3.         The lower and lower middle income Karachiites who flock to these beaches in search of recreation and entertainment and the services sector (camel men, snack charmers, hawkers, jugglers, etc) that caters to their needs. 

4.         Land owning agencies and people.

To reconcile these interests, from the planning point of view, the following is required.

1.         No reclamation from the sea or of mangrove marshes, mud flats or fish and turtle nurseries and the land that they require for survival should be permitted. Such reclamation will destroy the flora and fauna of the area. One of the major reasons of Karachi’s flooding during the rains is the encroachment on the mangroves of the China Creek backwaters by the KPT Colony. 

2.         The fishing communities should have access to the sea for fishing purposes and their traditional villages and land should be protected/preserved. Also, lower and lower middle income groups and their services sector should have access to the beach. This can be done by following well-established beach development byelaws that are operative in our neighbouring countries. These byelaws will guarantee that no development will take place between the high water mark and 150 metres beyond it and that this area will be accessible to everyone (in the case of Maharashtra, this distance is 500 metres). Where a road exists along the coast, no development will take place between the road and the high water mark on the seaward side.   

3.         No sewage, treated or untreated, will be discharged into the sea. 

4.         The planning of the coastal area will be done on the basis of an urban design exercise keeping in view the four basic principles of planning and the considerations mentioned above. This urban planning exercise can only take place after the project has become an integral part of the Karachi Master Plan and adjustments in the plans related to the landuse, transportation, solid waste management, water, sewage and related issues are carried out.  

14th June, 2007

EDO (MPGO), CDGK

Dear Ifthikar Kaimkhani,

Regarding development of the 42km Karachi beaches, the following points are noteworthy:

1.      Under the common-law 'Public Trust Doctrine', all citizens must have 100% access to the beaches for swimming, fishing, boating, recreation, ocean gazing, etc. There must be no 'private' beaches.

2.      Karachi lies at the confluence of the Arabian, Indian and Asian tectonic plates. Sub-duction of the plates gives rise to tsunamis, some of which have adversely affected the Karachi coast in the past. Additionally, construction on soft soils near the sea is vulnerable to seismic damage (liquefaction of soil).Sri Lanka intends to ban construction within a 100m coastal zone around the country and a 200m zone in the North and Eastern province. The Sri Lankan government has also announced its decision to regulate all new construction in a 700m zone beyond the 300m coastal zone declared under the Coast Conservation Act No 57 of 1981.

3.      The UNDP/KDA coastal development plan called for no construction within 50 meters of the high-water mark. This is insufficient clear space, and must be extended to at least 150 meters or to the landward side of the beach access road.

4.      The Indian Ministry of Environment & Forests notification under section 3(1) and section 3(2)(v) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and rule 5(3)(d) of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 declared coastal stretches as Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and regulate activities in the CRZ (Act downloadable from http://envfor.nic.in/divisions/iass/notif/crz.htm). No construction activities are allowed within 500 metres of the high tide line or on the seaward side of existing roads. ( Kiya hum Indians sey kum hain?). Also download ^{http://tcdc.undp.org/sie/experiences/vol3/Coastal%20India.pdf}

Sugarland City will threaten fisherfolk’s livelihood

Fisherfolk at the Sandspit and Hawkesbay beach, fifteen kilometers south west of Karachi, have been worrying since long at their dwindling catch. They attribute this misfortune to the activity of deep-sea trawlers and use of fine mesh nets locally known as Gujja, Katra and Bhola nets that do not spare even the juvenile fish.

Now they have more to worry about with the development of “Sugarland City,” a private resort the government is setting up on the Sandspit and Hawkesbay beach in cooperation with a private Dubai-based developer. Fishermen of the area say that this destroy the mangrove forests that happen to be nurseries of fish and shrimps.

“Several fish species including Hira, Dhotar, Surmai, Pomphret besides lobsters are found here but our catch has been reduced drastically due to the operation of deep-sea trawlers that poach in shallow waters and take away the entire bounty,” said Dawood, 38, a local fisherman.

“Some times I get 10 pieces of Surmai but at times I hardly manage to get a piece. A single piece of Surmai, if it is big, fetches 1,000 rupees. If it is small, then I get 300-400 rupees,” he added.

“Twenty years ago, the catch was so good that our entire boat would be overflowing with fish,” he recalled.

He said the area also had lots of crabs that fetched a good price at 5-star hotels of Karachi but Bengali fishermen who use banned Gujja, Katra and Bhola nets have almost drained this resource.

Pointing out to the lush green mangrove forests on one side of the beach, Dawood said nobody had planted them. “They have grown naturally and shrimps and different fish species spawn in these forests. But the mangroves face extinction due to development activity and when Sugarland City will materialize, they would be destroyed totally, rendering us jobless,” he commented.

The total area of mangrove forests in Sindh’s Indus Delta is about 250,000 hectares and that of Balochistan’s Makran coast is now estimated at only 7,500 hectares, i.e. 3% of the total mangrove forest coverage at the coastal areas of Pakistan. In view of their relatively small coverage, the mangroves in Balochistan could easily disappear if no proper action is taken, while those of Sindh are under severe pressure. This warning was highlighted in the Tropical Rainforest Portfolio 1996-2001, a study undertaken by the Netherlands government and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Zeist, the Netherlands.

Fisherfolk who have been living in small settlements in Sandspit/ Hawkesbay for centuries, also fear that the massive Sugarland City project with an estimated cost of several billion would deprive them of their ancestral land. “We will become homeless when construction starts here on a big scale,” Dawood said.

(By Shahid Husain, The News-13, 02/06/2007)

Sugarland City will uproot 200,000 people’

As many as 200,000 poor people living in the Union Council-8 (Keamari) will be uprooted if the multi billion dollar Sugarland City project is implemented, Mubarak Baloch, Nazim UC-8, the area where the project will be built, told The News. Public resentment has started to grow on this project which is being seen as one that will uproot many to serve a few.

The elected representative of the area where Sugarland City will be built has said that no effort was made to take him or the residents of the area into confidence by the government. “UC-8 has 104 Goths (villages) under the jurisdiction of Karachi Port Trust, City District Government Karachi and the Board of Revenue but unfortunately we have not been taken into confidence by the government regarding Sugarland City,” he disclosed.

The Nazim of UC-8 told The News that a meeting of his union council was held on Thursday where a resolution showing concern about the project was approved unanimously. Copies of this resolution are being sent to Sindh Chief Minister, Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Governor Dr. Irshad-ul-Ibad, City Nazim Mustafa Kamal and Chief Secretary, Government of Sindh, Fazalur Rehman.

However, many comment that this may be a attempt in futility.

“UC-8 has 9 Dehs (hamlets), including Deh Lal Bakar, Deh Mindiari, Deh Mun, Deh Allah Bano, Deh Chatara, Deh Gabopat, Deh Mochka, Deh Gondpass and Deh Mawaich and every deh has several goths (villages). Musharraf Colony and 500 Quarters also known as Gulshan-i-Benazir are also included in the area. The radious of UC-8 extends up to 80 sq km and it will be destroyed by Sugarland City,” Mubarak Baloch added. The mega project would also lead to demolishment of 970 huts on the Sandspit/ Hawkesbay beach.

The western part of Sandspit/Hawkesbay is an open sandy beach, extending for about 10km. The beach composes fine and coarse particles of sand and according to one estimate, more than 100,000 people from Karachi and upcountry visit the area annually.

Many of these people come and spend their time at privately owned or leased huts.

These huts are now also under threat. Under the grand Sugarland plan, the huts will be eventually removed to make way for the development of this project. This is a tricky proposition.

“Every hut is valued at Rs 2-10 million and is owned by national and multinational companies, embassies and also locals. During June-August, most of these huts are frequented by people and provide livelihood to local population. But with the advent of Sugarland City, people will be rendered jobless,” said Nadir Baloch who owns a hut in Sandspit/Hawkesbay beach.

Times are changing fast and the once peaceful area is now becoming less secure, partially due to the political situation in the city. Chowkidars at the Sandspit/ Hawkesbay beach complain of rise in theft and robbery. “If somebody is looted on the roads, chowkidars at the huts are usually held responsible by the police,” said Liaquat Ali, 28, a chowkidar at a hut owned by businessman Ashraf Lakhani. He has been a chowkidar at the hut for 18 long years but complains about the highhandedness of an ethnic organization. There are allegations that this is being done to scare away hut owners. So far, this cannot be proved.

But what can be proved is that hut owners are actively being discouraged from staying on. “The annual tax we paid two years ago was Rs 600. Last year it was raised to Rs 25,000 per annum. Now the authorities are not ready to accept even that amount because they want to make us defaulters and evacuate us,” he said. “We have filed a case in a court of law against such excesses,” he added.

Amazingly, no Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) that is a legal requirement of all mega projects has been carried out and nobody knows how the area would be provided water, electricity and other amenities.

“I think the most important thing is not to have isolated projects in the city but to relate this to the overall land use and infrastructure resources in the city because any development is relative to whatever exists in the city,” said Perveen Rahman, an architect and director of Orangi Pilot Protect-Research Training Institute.

“The location of Sugarland City is where there are many old Goths (villages) where people live and the right to live is much more important than the right of recreation. Then nobody knows from where the mega project will be provided water and other amenities. They always make claims about self-electricity but we know this will not happen,” she concluded.

(By Shahid Husain , The News-13, 26/05/2007)

The coastal area of Karachi is on the brink of a massive makeover. According to documents received by The News, a new project by the name of Sugarland City is nearing its launch stage. The master plan of Sugarland City involves “development” of most of the city’s public beaches, such as Hawkesbay and Sandspit as well as Manora and Cape Monze.

If this project is allowed to go ahead, the city’s main public beaches will be privatised as will one of the main recreation spots of Karachi — despite the hue and cry created by various public quarters.

The project has been initiated by “Limitless”, which is the first integrated real estate developer launched by “Dubai World” - a private developer. “Dubai World” happens to be the parent company managing and supervising a portfolio of businesses and projects. “Sugarland City” is going to be the first overseas project for “Limitless”.

The first announcement of the project came on Dubai World’s website on 5th June, 2006, where it stated that Limitless will develop the Karachi Water Front project. This was followed by the news that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by Pakistan’s Minister of State and Privatisation and Investment Umar Ahmad Ghuman and Dubai World chairman Sultan Bin Sulayman.

The (MoU) was followed by a high-level meeting held in Islamabad on June 24, 2006, which was chaired by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. A number of important directives were given to different ministries including those of Ports and Shipping, Defence, as well as the government of Sindh.

It was decided in this meeting that, since the area indicated by Dubai World is very large, the development may start in phases. According to the documents available, in the first phase Manora area, along with Sandspit and areas behind it in the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) western back waters, upto KPT’s land limits with Hawksbay, would be offered to the group.

In the second phase, while developing the Hawksbay Beach front, it would be ensured that a few portions are left open for the general public for recreational purposes. This would mean that the people would be restricted to limited areas for enjoyment purposes.

At present, the beach not only serves the purpose of recreational activities, but individuals also have huts located there, which are given to them on lease. The most important point related to the huts in the meeting was the premature cancellation of land leases, “after thoroughly examining the situation.”

It was proposed in the same meeting that there should be a proper mechanism for shifting the navy and cantonment board’s facilities located at Manora to the Navy land at Cape Monze area.

After the meeting, these directives were forwarded to the government of Sindh on 7th October, 2006. From here, the work gained momentum according to the dates provided in the documents. There were reminders from the District Coordination Officer (DCO) City District Government Fazlur Rahaman to Executive District Officer (EDO) revenue, CDGK. This reminder termed the directives from the Prime Minister to be of ‘high priority’.

Through out the above work, there has never been any ‘official’ announcement from the federal government related to the Sugarland City project. Nor were there any reports in the media related to this mega project. However, on 22nd February, 2007, City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal briefed journalists about the project and also gave details of the project being finalised with an agreement being signed in March 2007.

It was also said that the project has the approval from the President. This was for the first time that the project was officially announced and got coverage by the media.

This project involves an area of 60,000 acres of area with a total investment of 68 billion US dollars that has been approved by the Federal government. The first phase of the project would involve investment of $2 billion over the next ten years. It is also expected to involve much larger investments in the later phases.

According to the latest reports on the project, notices have been issued to all those hut owners coming under the project’s jurisdiction. The notice states that all those huts that are in violation of the hut by-laws would have their leases cancelled with immediate effect whereas the leases of those huts that are not in violation will not be renewed as and when their term expires.

(By Sidra Rafique, The News-13, 25/05/2007)