SOUTH ASIA HYDROMET FORUMSESSION 5: LINKING COMMUNITIES TO WEATHER AND CLIMATE SERVICE

ACTION & CHALLENGES FOR URBAN RESILIENCE IN KARACHI

Abdul Fattah Tunio,

Member, Planning & Development,

Government of Sindh

September 19, 2018

• Karachi: A Mega City

• Effects of Climate Change

• Case Study: Heat wave 2015

• Urban Resilience in the Context of Climate Change

• Urban Resilience – Role of Private Sector

• Challenges for Urban Resilience in Karachi

• Actions for Enhancing Resilience

2

Sequence of Presentation

Action & Challenges of Urban Resilience in Karachi

KARACHI: A MEGA CITY

• Population: > 16 million – Sixth most

populous city in the world

• Pakistan’s premier financial and industrial

hub

• Grave challenges of basic service delivery

• Informal settlements – Orangi town largest

slum in Asia

• High vulnerability for climate impacts

Action & Challenges of Urban Resilience in Karachi3

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

• Pakistan is among the top 10 countries most

vulnerable to climate change due to its high

population density, monsoon-dependent

agricultural economy and aging infrastructure

• It has already endured several climate-related

losses during the period 2005 – 2015 in the

form of;

• Mega floods,

• Heavy rainfalls,

• Droughts and

• EarthquakesAction & Challenges of Urban Resilience in Karachi

4

CASE STUDY: HEAT WAVE 2015

• Heatwave summer 2015: > 1000 heat related

fatalities in Karachi

• Formation of low pressure cell over Arabian Sea

shut down sea breeze causing rise in humidity.

• Absence of timely early warning and response

capacity gaps.

• Contributing factors:

o Power breakdowns

o Water shortages

o Old buildings infrastructure

o Lack of preparedness

Action & Challenges of Urban Resilience in Karachi5

URBAN RESILIENCE IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Action & Challenges of Urban Resilience in Karachi6

• While we cannot avert natural disasters due to

extreme weather events, we can significantly

reduce their impact through sustainable

development, which aims to minimize losses

through building a climate-resilient infrastructure

• Karachi city is exposed to all the possible climate

change hazard scenarios; urban flooding,

drought, extreme heat and rising sea levels

• While emergency response systems like healthcare and firefighting facilities are grossly

inadequate to meet high-scale disaster situations

• A possible resilience framework for Karachi, encompassing all key stakeholders, would

have to start with an assessment of the existing status

Action & Challenges of Urban Resilience in Karachi7

• Karachi, being vulnerable city, must begin to

build resilience to climate change

• To maintain competitiveness and enhance

security of supply and service delivery, the

private sector must invest in resilient

infrastructure

• Ultimately all stakeholders including the

government, private sector, research

community and policy makers must act in

collaboration to enable the city to withstand

future shocks and stresses and flourish in the

face of a changing climate

URBAN RESILIENCE – ROLE OF PRIVATE SECTOR

CHALLENGES FOR URBAN RESILIENCE IN KARACHI

▪ Institutional Capacity

• Human and financial resource constraint

• Overlaps in mandate

• Limited institutional coordination

▪ Unplanned Urbanization

• Informal settlements

• Challenges of basic service delivery

• Land use changes – Urban Heat Islands

• Urban Flooding due to blockage of drains

▪ Monitoring & Early Warning

▪ Data Collection & ResearchAction & Challenges of Urban Resilience in Karachi8

ACTIONS FOR ENHANCING RESILIENCE

• Strengthening of city level emergency response services

• Establishment of Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

and SOPs

• Development of Karachi Heat Wave Management Plan

• Strong participation of non-government entities, private

sector and news media in disaster response and recovery

• Upgradation of national hydro-meteorological

infrastructure linked with local EOCs

• Innovative institute responsible for disaster management

in the city of Karachi

Action & Challenges of Urban Resilience in Karachi9

Support of International Development

Partners:

World Bank through Sindh Resilience

Project is assisting in strengthening

capacity of government functionaries to

manage risks from natural disasters &

climate change and to improve resilience

of communities and economic assets in

the province

Action & Challenges of Urban Resilience in Karachi10

ACTIONS FOR ENHANCING RESILIENCE

THANK YOU

11 Action & Challenges of Urban Resilience in Karachi