Covering Karachi's Nehr-i-Khayyam poses risk of urban flooding: experts

Residents and environmentalists in Karachi gathered on Sunday to protest the construction at Nehr-i-Khayyam, an open drain in Clifton’s Block 5. They demanded that the project be halted until an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is conducted and the details of the work are made public. Protesters displayed placards with messages like "Commercial use of Nehr-i-Khayyam not accepted" and "Stop concreting drains, restore Nehr-i-Khayyam".

The construction has already seen the installation of two columns and concrete blocks, with trees previously lining both sides of the drain now only present on one side. Rasha Tarek, a protester and member of the Karachi Residents’ Community (District South), questioned the discharge of sewage into the waterway and the decision to cover half of it, expressing concern over the environmental impact.

Masood Lohar, founder of the Clifton Urban Forest, claimed the project was approved for recreational purposes in 2019, but he believes it is actually intended for commercial use. He warned that if Karachi received 250mm of rainfall, the port and security installations could become dysfunctional. Another protester, Yasir Husain, highlighted that under the law, every government project should undergo an EIA, and demanded that the details of this project be made public.

He also suggested filing a right-to-information request to obtain project details. The protest is set to continue every weekend until the suspension of construction and the disclosure of relevant project information.