If we do not act now, we will lose what is left of this Baghicha -
approximately 480 acres. With this will go the opportunity of
reviving the only open space in old Karachi that can be redeveloped
as a green area and made into a recreation space for generations to
come. Every moment is vital.
What it
Was
A Karachi
Municipality map of 1892 shows that Plot No. K 28/108 is 113
years old and its surrounding area was transferred to the
Karachi Municipality by the British Crown free of cost.
Its appellation of 'gutter' originated from storm
drainage channels of Lyari River known as the Shone Drainage
System. Later these channels also took the sewerage water,
originating in the adjoining built up areas, which was then
used to grow cereals, green fodder and vegetables. It later
came to be known as the Sewage Farm.
At the time of partition, the Baghicha was referred to as 'the
largest urban forest in Karachi'. Apart from the
cultivated area, there were also large tracts of natural
vegetation. Old inhabitants speak of deer roaming freely and
of an abundance of flora and fauna. It was a place of natural
beauty, recreation, peace and quiet.
In 1969 map of Karachi, Gutter Baghicha is shown as a 'Municipal
Garden' spread over an area of 1016.76 acres. Technically,
it is still all government land, meant for public recreation.
What it
Has Now Become
In the past
three decades Gutter Baghicha has become less and less of a 'baghicha'
and more and more of a 'gutter'. According to the
karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations (part II) of
1979 (page 61) and 2002 ( Reg. 19-3-4) plots like Gutter
Baghicha can only be utilized for common public welfare.
Growing population, unauthorized housing and the failure of
government to provide sanitation systems has led to sewage
from large parts of the city pouring into the Baghicha. A
treatment plant, developed in 1961 to treat the sewage water,
is no longer in working condition. However the storm water
channels built by the British are still being used to bring
water from Lyari River and wastewater from the Site industrial
area and this mixed untreated water, unfit for human
consumption, is illegally used for cultivation.
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Memories of an Old Man
Fateh
Muhammad Nazar is 75 years old. A native of old Golimar
(near the Gutter Baghicha). He remembers Gutter Baghicha
as a place of comfort and recreation.
" Gutter Baghicha was like a jungle while I was a child. A
very beautiful jungle. We used to sit under the trees.
People who came from remote places, after long journeys on
foot, used to take rest under the shady trees of Gutter
Baghicha before continuing to their destinations. There
were also deer in the area. I remember the shooting of two
films, Ladla and Jaag Utha Insaan at this location.
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Story of Gutter Baghicha
The
story of Gutter Baghicha is a story of greed, connivance,
and land grabbing by some citizens and officials of this
city, and a story of apathy and indifference by the rest
of us who call this city our home. A story where the poor
have had no voice and a story of deafening silence in the
corridors of power. |
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