Karachi: Expressing serious concern over the substantial losses Karachi endures each monsoon, Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor stated on Sunday that the financial toll of floods far exceeds the costs associated with reviving the city’s natural waterways, which have been obstructed due to encroachments. He highlighted that the megacity experiences flooding every monsoon because its natural drainage has been systematically blocked. In numerous areas, rivers, nullahs, and coastal inlets have been encroached upon by roads, real estate, and unplanned settlements. Shakoor emphasized the need for an eco-redesign of Karachi, aimed at reviving its natural flows wherever possible, while implementing engineered solutions for unavoidable bottlenecks.

According to Pasban Democratic Party, Shakoor called for the removal of all types of encroachments over the waterways, with a focus on relocation and compensation for affected individuals rather than forced evictions. He advocated for the restoration of
floodplains and buffers, suggesting that no new permanent structures be allowed in these zones. Instead, he proposed transforming them into linear parks or sports fields that can temporarily flood without causing damage. Shakoor cited the example of Rotterdam’s floodable parks, which are designed to collect excess rainwater without disrupting city life.

Shakoor also recommended the construction of underground stormwater tanks to store rainwater. These large detention tanks, placed under intersections or open grounds, would help temporarily hold excess rainwater. He stressed the importance of data, mapping, and early warning systems, advocating for a hydrological mapping of Karachi to identify old waterways, current choke points, and encroachment zones using satellite imagery.

Criticizing the provincial government of Sindh and local authorities in Karachi for corruption, Shakoor urged improvements in governance. He called for the establishment of a single drainage authority to address the overlap between KMC
, DMCs, cantonments, and provincial bodies. He proposed creating a Karachi Stormwater Authority with legal power to enforce clearance. Shakoor asserted that Karachi’s flooding is not inevitable, but rather a design failure that can be corrected by respecting natural waterways and supporting them with smart infrastructure.

Shakoor reminded that the damage costs from floods are significantly higher than the expenses of restoring drainage systems. He noted that other countries have successfully implemented similar plans, citing Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon stream restoration, Rotterdam’s water parks, and China’s ‘sponge cities’ as examples. Emphasizing that prevention is more cost-effective than repair, Shakoor argued that the government would save significantly more by reclaiming occupied natural waterways, thus preventing substantial losses to life and property during the rainy season.