The Gentrification of Karachi’s Coastline
Heritages issues were also raised. The 10th century tomb of Yousuf Shah, the patron saint of the fishermen of Sindh, is located on one of the islands and there is a huge gathering with music and dance at his tomb every year. Thousands of fishermen with their boats from all over Sindh gather on the occasion.
The islands lye on the mouth of the Korangi Creek near the open sea while the fishing villages lye upstream of the creek. Fishermen use the passage between the islands to the open sea for their fishing trips which number hundreds within a day. They were fears that this movement would be disrupted depriving tens of thousands of persons of livelihood. In addition, the two islands are also a sort of joint property where thousands of fishermen dry their catch, clean their nets and camp during the fishing season.
The Korangi Creek fishing villages also receive boat hands and fisherfolk from all over Sindh who come seeking employment during the fishing season. As such, the opponents to the project claimed that the development would result in poverty and hunger among 8 million fisherfolk who are have been historic inhabitants of the coast and have traditionally been earning their livelihood at the coast.
The PFF convened a number of meetings to discuss the sale of the islands and invited the media, prominent citizens, academia and NGOs to them. It also observed hunger strikes at the press clubs of Sindh cities. It also convened an All Parties Conference (inviting representatives of all Pakistan political parties) and presented its findings and concerns to them. In January 2007, the PFF observed a black day and a shutter down strike throughout Sindh in collaboration with political parties and civil society organisations.
It is not clear why the project did not go through. However, in private conversations politicians and bureaucrats say that they were afraid of a province wide agitation by the fisherfolk against the project.
5. Port Grand Karachi
The Native Jetty bridge was built by the British in the 1850’s. It linked the island of Keamari where the port is, to the Karachi main line. In the decade of the 1990’s, a new bridge (Jinnah Bridge), linked to a number of flyovers was built parallel to the Native Jetty bridge, which as a result, was abandoned.
From the time the Native Jetty bridge was built, it served also as a place for gatherings and various cultural activities. “Common” people sat at the edge and watched the water. Boys jumped off it to swim. Older men fished while sitting at its edge. The water catered to a number of religious superstitions; fish were fed, birds were released from cages, trysts were consolidated and many religious processions terminated at the water edge. Old religious manuscripts were also ceremoniously given to the water. After the construction of the Jinnah Bridge these activities continued at the Native Jetty bridge.
However, in 2003, the bridge was taken over by the Grand Leisure Corporation. As a result, all the popular activities shifted to the Jinnah Bridge. Meanwhile, the Grand Leisure Corporation have constructed Port Grand Project on the Native Jetty bridge. “The project is a food, shopping and entertainment complex which has been built with over Rs 1 billion investment by Grand Leisure Corporation. Port Grand project is a 13-acre world-class facility that has been designed and built in collaboration with top international architects/designers who employed the latest technology and building techniques to deliver a state of the art facility. About 40 outlets are being made operational at this stage while more outlets would be opened soon. The entry fee for the Port Grand would be Rs. 300 per person out of which Rs 200 would be redeemable at different food outlets and shops inside the project. The native jetty bridge has been entirely rebuilt to ensure a world-class tourist destination and a source of pride for Karachites that would ultimately attract millions of people from all over the country and beyond. Visitors would come to Port Grand not only for food and entertainment but for over a hundred different concepts at port grand that includes free wifi, port bazaar, bookstore, florist, Art lane, gift and antiques etc. Parking for over eight hundred cars with complimentary valet service, and pristine public restrooms and plenty of pedestrian friendly walkways are additional attractions at the project. Port Grand is also one of the first projects in the City that has been dedicated to building an open eco-friendly/ green environment, with special focus on urban regeneration. Port Grand is going to be a model for lot of good to be followed in the city.” (Source: forum.xcitefun.net/port–grand–karachi-food-street-t63136.html Cached)
Politicians, middle classes, elite and the media are all full of praise for Port Grand. Various Karachi websites are very appreciative of it. However, Jinnah Bridge looks down onto Port Grand. As a result, poor people on the bridge while carrying on their various “cultural activities” could look into Port Grand which also hosts fashion shows. It was felt that Port Grand should be protected from such voyeurs and so barriers were built on either side of Jinnah Bridge making the populist activities that took place there, impossible. So far, no protests against this discontinuation of popular activities have been registered.
6. Karachi Strategic Development Plan 2020
Work on the Karachi Strategic Development Plan (KSDP) 2020 which was being prepared by the city government, was taking place while the debate on the beach projects were acquiring an intensity. It was therefore natural that this subject became an important one for the KSDP. In addition, a number of persons being consulted by the KSDP team were in opposition to the projects. Consequently, the KSDP developed a number of strategies for the development of the coast.
It is therefore important to look at some of the more relevant provisions of the KSDP 2020. In Section 4.8 of the Plan it is stated, “Reclamation along any section of the sea front either on the landward side or the bordering sea would not be advised. The same restriction holds for the mud flats, marshes and back water creeks, which in no way be allowed to undergo artificial morphological change detrimental to the existing hydrological environment.” And again, “The coastal sea and its back-water and creeks provide source of livelihood to fishing communities who live on the coast. The fisherman must enjoy free access to their traditional grounds in the sea, backwaters and creeks. For any development to be sustainable and acceptable, the historical rights of the communities to the sea and the coastal village land they occupy ought to be respected.”
In the same section the KSDP 2020 talks about environmental and socio-economic provisions. It states, “The coast must be protected as an environmental asset, and environment quality, including reduction of pollution of the coastal zone must be improved. Green turtle sanctuaries and mangrove ecological system along the beach, in the back-waters and creek must be preserved and measures against its degradation should be urgently taken to control pollution.” And again, “The sea-shore and the beaches should be preserved and promoted as public assets. Public access to the beaches and the coast must remain free and unhindered, and to keep the enjoyment for the general citizens, no development should be allowed in land area upto 150 meters from the high water mark.” The KSDP 2020 also talks about “a programme to promote the sea-shore and beaches as a public asset”. It also accepts the concept of real estate development along the waterfront but in these terms “Together with coastal development programme given above, the coastal area has a potential for development such as housing, business offices, commercial establishments and public amenities in suitable sites. However, any development scheme designed in the area must adhere to the above mentioned guiding principles”. Another important provision states, “Development plans should be finalised with public participation and be presented for soliciting public opinion.”
The city council approved the KSDP 2020 in December 2007. Under the provisions of the plan, none of the three waterfront projects described above can be built. However, two of these projects do not fall in the jurisdiction of the city government but of military cantonments who are under no obligation to follow the KSDP provisions. It is not clear as to why the projects have been abandoned. But, one thing is clear that the protests against their inequities had a lot to do with their being “suspended”.
7. Role of Architects
Architects and planners have played an important role in developing a very large number of anti-poor projects. I have advocated (without success) an oath for architects and planners, something similar to the Hippocratic oath for the medical profession. The theory being that the Council of Architects should be deregister anyone that violates this oath. In 1983, I took such an oath.
“I will not do projects that will irrepairably damage the ecology and environment of the area in which they are located; I will not do projects that increase poverty, dislocate people and destroy the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of communities that live in the city; I will not do projects that destroy multi-class public space and violate building byelaws and zoning regulations; and I will always object to insensitive projects that do all this, provided I can offer viable alternatives.”
I have kept my word. I feel that if 20 other prominent architects had taken a similar oath in 1983 and struck to it, Karachi would have been a different city.
