The general population of Karachi and Thatta, mainly the two vulnerable cities of Sindh, are lacking knowledge on the climate change issues, the cause for it as well as the solution. The following information has been rolled out through a research study conducted by the Islamic Relief Pakistan.
The study “Unpacking Urban Resilience: Towards a Framework for Building Urban Resilience to Climate Change in Thatta and Karachi,” has made several revelations on the major factors.
As per the study, “While Karachi is vulnerable mainly because of its large population, high inflow of migrants, huge slum areas and unplanned development, Thatta is highly vulnerable because of its ties with the coastal belt of Arabian Sea and Indus delta.”
It is to be noted that, the lack of implementation of policies which are directly linked to climate change and urban resilience in Pakistan is another issue. Because of the limited access to basic things, lower-classes are especially vulnerable to the impacts of the climate change. Unsurprisingly then, the result of this study show that the levels of urban resilience are low.
Notably, there is requirement for the institutions that can provide accessible details about the climate change, its threats, responses and solution towards mitigating the effects of the climate change. This study unveils that the actions taken by the individuals and government agencies are reactive rather than proactive, and there is a requirement of sensitization, organization and ownership of Karachi and Thatta by their communities and structures of governance.
Years of poor urban planning and the rampant threat of climate change pose a massive threat to Thatta and Karachi which at present are woefully unprepared for climate catastrophe.
Karachi and Thatta represent a ground zero from where a framework for urban climate change resilience can be built, and therefore can provide comparative examples to tackle the climate change across the globe.
The research study records local perceptions and expectations of several stakeholders to learn about the vulnerability and mitigation related to the climate change and urban resilience in Karachi and Thatta. The study alerts that lack of political will further exacerbate the problem, since the conflict of interest between the different political parties caused ignorance towards climate change.
