Karachi residents could be in trouble if the sea continues to encroach upon the land in Pakistan, according to a Senate committee. Scientists believe that within 30 years, the cities of Thatta and Badin could sink under the sea and that Karachi could be next, falling underwater by 2060, according to Dawn.com.
A call for research studies in Karachi
The Standing Committee on Science and Technology sent a letter to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif this week explaining the findings of their study on sea intrusion. The scientists who conducted the study focused on the coastlines of Balochistan and Sindh.
The committee urged Pakistan’s Ministry of Water and Power, Navy, the National Institute of Oceanography and a number of other agencies to do their own studies to look for ways to keep Karachi above water.
Recommendations from the committee
The letter suggests that the Council of Common Interests take up the issue and that Pakistan’s federal government give funds to Sindh so that it can put some safety measures in place in Zulfiqarabad. In addition, the committee suggests that the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and the National Disaster Management Authority take some steps to try to prevent potential damage to areas like Karachi that are at high risk for sinking underwater in the future.
The committee also suggests that officials follow the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord, which applies to the Indus River System.
Karachi underwater by 2060?
The reason scientists have become so concerned about Karachi and other parts of the Sindh province is because of sea erosion in the Indus delta. They estimate that Thatta and Badin will be underwater by 2050 and that Karachi could follow within the next 10 years after that.
Experts say climate change, changes in weather patterns and unplanned developments along the coastlines will likely contribute to this disaster. The same issue is a concern in all of the world’s other delta areas as well.
A number of areas in Thatta and Badin are already underwater because of the rising sea level, according to experts. They also say that a large part of the Malir area in Karachi is already being affected by seawater.