Lyari River
Encyclopedia
Lyari River is a small ephemeral
Ephemeral
Ephemeral things are transitory, existing only briefly. Typically the term is used to describe objects found in nature, although it can describe a wide range of things....

 stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...

 that flows through the Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

i megacity
Megacity
A megacity is usually defined as a metropolitan area with a total population in excess of 10 million people. Some definitions also set a minimum level for population density . A megacity can be a single metropolitan area or two or more metropolitan areas that converge. The terms conurbation,...

 of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

 from north east to the center and drains into the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...

 at the Monora channel
Manora
Manora may refer to:* Manora, Karachi, a peninsula near Karachi, Pakistan* Manora Fort, Thanjavur, India* Manora, Washim, a taulka in Washim district of Maharashtra, India...

. It is one of the two rivers of Karachi, the other one being Malir River
Malir River
Malir River is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Malir River passes through the city of Karachi from North East to the Centre and drains into the Arabian Sea. Malir river is one of the two rivers passing through Karachi and the other is Lyari River...

. The river is about 50 kilometre
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...

s (30 mile
Mile
A mile is a unit of length, most commonly 5,280 feet . The mile of 5,280 feet is sometimes called the statute mile or land mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile...

s) long. As a seasonal river it carrys the collected water after the rains in the catchment area.

History

Until 1950s, the river held clean water and fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

, with farming activities on its banks. However, after the independence
Independence Day (Pakistan)
Pakistan's independence day is observed on 14 August, the day before Pakistan was made an independent country based on border lines created by the British during the end of their rule of India. Pakistan became an independent country in 1947. The day is a national holiday in Pakistan...

 of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 from British colonialism in 1947, when Karachi was announced as the capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....

 of the new country, a large influx of refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...

s from various Indian states
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 as well as from other provinces
Subdivisions of Pakistan
The administrative units of Pakistan consist of four provinces, one federal capital territory, and a group of federally-administered tribal areas...

 of Pakistan came to live in the city. With rapid growth of the city's economy
Economy of Karachi
Karachi is referred as the financial capital of Pakistan; it accounts for a lion's share of Pakistan's revenue generation. It generates approximately 53.38% of the total collections of the Federal Board of Revenue, out of which 53.33% are customs duty and sales tax on imports. Karachi produces...

, industry, and population
Demographics of Karachi
Karachi is the largest and most populous city in Pakistan. The population and demographic distribution in the megacity has undergone numerous changes over the past 150 years. On 14 August 1947, when it became the capital city of a new Dominion of Pakistan, its population was about 450,000 inhabitants...

, the river's ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...

 was transformed and it gradually continued to discharge waste water, sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...

 and industrial effluent
Effluent
Effluent is an outflowing of water or gas from a natural body of water, or from a human-made structure.Effluent is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “wastewater - treated or untreated - that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. Generally refers...

s.

Redevelopments along the river

With many squatter settlements groomed in the river's surroundings, the occasional floods started causing human and property loss. Especially, after the havoc caused by the torrential rains in 1977, need was realised to build flood barrier
Flood barrier
A flood barrier, surge barrier of storm surge barrier is a specific type of floodgate, designed to prevent a storm surge or spring tide from flooding the protected area behind the barrier...

s along the river. In 1986, a proposal was made to build an expressway
Controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a highway designed exclusively for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow and ingress/egress regulated...

 through the city that would run along the riverbanks of Lyari
Lyari
Lyari is one of the neighbourhoods of Lyari Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.There are several ethnic groups in Lyari including Muhajirs, Punjabis, Sindhis, Kashmiris, Seraikis, Pakhtuns, Balochis, Memons, Bohras Ismailis, etc. Over 99% of the population is Muslim...

. The plan was abandoned because an estimated 100,000 people would have to be relocated. However, the flood incidents continued in 1990s.

Lyari Expressway

The project comprises a 16.5 kilometre (10¼ mile) stretch of elevated expressway running along both sides of the river, cutting through the city to Karachi Port, as an extension/alternative to the Northern Bypass
Karachi Northern Bypass
The M10 is a motorway located in Sindh province, Pakistan, however it is mostly referred to as the Karachi Northern Bypass. It is 57 km long and consists of 4 lanes .- Route :...

. The work commenced in 2002 without any public consensus, as a result of which large numbers of houses and schools were demolished on the reasons of Informal settlements. The measures were strongly opposed by affected population, community groups, civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...

 organizations and NGOs on the grounds that at least 200,000 families would have to be displaced from the development sites in addition to the economic and environmental costs. A number of cost effective alternatives were also proposed by local activists and organizations. However, the project continued with the additions of Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project
Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project
Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project is a civic project in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan to provide replacement housing in developed suburbs for people displaced by the construction of the Lyari Expressway...

 as a relocation plan to move the affected families to the purpose-built areas in Hawk's Bay
Hawke's Bay (Karachi)
Hawke's Bay Town is located in Keamari Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Hawke's Bay Town was notified in July, 1984 by Karachi Development Authority. It is a residential Scheme for low / medium income group....

 and Taiser Town
Taiser Town
Taiser Town or Taiser Town Scheme-45 is one of the neighborhoods of Malir Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It has been established by Malir Development Authority to resettle people displaced due to the construction of Lyari Expressway along the Lyari River...

, in the city's suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

s.

Other developments and extensions

Apart from the eviction and resettlement of Lyari Expressway, redevelopment plans have also been carried out under the Lyari River Development Scheme in other towns along the river such as Gulberg, North Nazimabad
North Nazimabad
North Nazimabad is a suburb of North Nazimabad Town, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. North Nazimabad was developed in early 1950s to settle Muslim refugees in Pakistan.-History:...

, Saddar
Saddar
Saddar is one of the neighbourhoods of Saddar Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Saddar is the central business district of Karachi. 'Saddar' generally means 'centre' and also 'head' ....

, Jamshed, Gulshan-e-Iqbal
Gulshan-e-Iqbal
'Iqbal Goth' is a large residential and commercial neighbourhood of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.The name "Gulshan-e-Iqbal" means "the garden of Iqbal", referring to the national poet of Pakistan, Allama Muhammad Iqbal....

 and Liaquatabad
Liaquatabad
Liaquatabad is a neighborhood of Liaquatabad Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Liaquatabad was named after Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan....

.

Pollution

The river is the main contributor to an estimated amount of 200 million
Million
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...

 Imperial gallons (909.218 million litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...

s) of raw sewage that enters the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...

. The only non-saline
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...

 input is the local run-off from rainfall. A large number of industries including leather tanning units, pharmaceuticals, petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....

s, refineries, chemical, textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...

, paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....

 and pulp
Wood pulp
Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibres from wood, fibre crops or waste paper. Wood pulp is the most common raw material in papermaking.-History:...

, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 works and thermal power station
Thermal power station
A thermal power station is a power plant in which the prime mover is steam driven. Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator. After it passes through the turbine, the steam is condensed in a condenser and recycled to where it was heated; this...

s, located along the river, regularly discharge their untreated industrial waste
Industrial waste
Industrial waste is a type of waste produced by industrial activity, such as that of factories, mills and mines. It has existed since the outset of the industrial revolution....

. With the growing amount of organic
Organic matter
Organic matter is matter that has come from a once-living organism; is capable of decay, or the product of decay; or is composed of organic compounds...

 nutrients in the river water, the marine ecology along the coastal shelf
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...

 has been alarmingly affected. The spillage due to tidal action also continues to affect the mangroves along the Karachi coast
Port of Karachi
The Port of Karachi is Pakistan's largest and busiest seaport, handling about 60% of the nation's cargo . It is located between the Karachi towns of Kiamari and Saddar, close to the main business district and several industrial areas. The geographic position of the port places it in close...

. The pollutants along with other environmental perturbations have also proved to be harmful to the biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

 of marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...

 species along Karachi Fish Harbour
Karachi Fish Harbour
Karachi Fish Harbour is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Karachi Fish Harbour handles about 90% of the fish and seafood catch in Pakistan and 95% of fish and seafood exports from Pakistan.- See also :* Karachi Fisheries Harbour Authority...

 including green turtle, seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...

s and marine mammal
Marine mammal
Marine mammals, which include seals, whales, dolphins, and walruses, form a diverse group of 128 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their reliance on the marine environment for feeding. The level of...

s.

See also

  • Green turtle
  • Lyari
    Lyari
    Lyari is one of the neighbourhoods of Lyari Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.There are several ethnic groups in Lyari including Muhajirs, Punjabis, Sindhis, Kashmiris, Seraikis, Pakhtuns, Balochis, Memons, Bohras Ismailis, etc. Over 99% of the population is Muslim...

  • Lyari Town
    Lyari Town
    Lyari Town is one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi, in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated town...

  • Lyari Development Authority
    Lyari Development Authority
    Lyari Development Authority was established in 1993 by the Government of Sindh to oversee the development of Lyari, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.- See also :* Hawksbay Scheme-42* Lyari Town* Karachi Improvement Trust* Karachi Metropolitan Corporation...

  • Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project
    Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project
    Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project is a civic project in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan to provide replacement housing in developed suburbs for people displaced by the construction of the Lyari Expressway...

  • Lyari Expressway
    Lyari Expressway
    Lyari Expressway is a highway currently under construction along the Lyari River in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. This toll highway is designed to relieve congestion in the city of Karachi.-Overview:...

  • Malir River
    Malir River
    Malir River is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Malir River passes through the city of Karachi from North East to the Centre and drains into the Arabian Sea. Malir river is one of the two rivers passing through Karachi and the other is Lyari River...

  • Gujjar Nala
    Gujjar Nala
    Gujjar Nala or Gujjar Stream is a small ephemeral stream that flows through the Pakistani megacity of Karachi from north east to the center and merges with Lyari River before draining into the Arabian Sea....


External links

  • IUCNP - IUCN's website on environmental issues and Biodiversity of Pakistan
  • Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum on Marine pollution
    Marine pollution
    Marine pollution occurs when harmful, or potentially harmful effects, can result from the entry into the ocean of chemicals, particles, industrial, agricultural and residential waste, noise, or the spread of invasive organisms. Most sources of marine pollution are land based...

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