By Hanifa Ameer
Karachi’s coastline — once rich with thriving mangrove forests — is now under silent assault. In a recent reports of media, revealed that two men, Tariq and Bilal, were arrested for illegally cutting mangrove trees. The FIR, registered under Section 188, marks one of the few actions taken in years against this environmental crime. But behind this single arrest lies a much larger crisis — the slow death of Karachi’s last natural shield against climate change.
During visit to Rehri Goth, a centuries-old fishing settlement along the coast, I saw how these mangrove forests breathe life into both land and sea. The dense green roots cradle young fish and crabs, stabilize the coastline, and purify the air. Yet, what I witnessed was heartbreaking — vast patches of dying mangroves, tangled in plastic waste, and water turned black by untreated industrial effluent.
“Mangroves used to protect our homes during high tides,” said one elderly fisherman. “Now, the water is poisoned, and the fish are gone.” His words reflect a truth scientists have long warned: when mangroves die, entire ecosystems collapse.
Experts say the crisis begins upstream. The reduced flow of the Indus River has weakened the delta’s natural balance — saltwater now creeps further inland, suffocating the roots of young mangroves before they can grow. Karachi’s toxic wastewater, plastic debris, and industrial discharge worsen the problem, turning the once-living delta into a graveyard of grey mud.
According to the Sindh Forest Department, Pakistan has already lost nearly 27% of its mangrove cover since the 1990s. Yet, these trees are among our planet’s most powerful natural defenses — they absorb up to four times more carbon dioxide and produce four times more oxygen than other tropical forests. Each tree lost means a heavier blow to the climate fight.
Mangroves are not just trees — they are Karachi’s natural walls against cyclones, coastal erosion, and rising sea levels. Without them, the city’s coastal communities face a future of displacement, flooding, and food insecurity.
If we continue to destroy what protects us, the sea will not forgive our silence. Saving mangroves means saving Karachi’s future — its air, its coastline, and its people.