With no cleaning mechanism in place in key coastal areas, much of Karachi’s beaches remain neglected
KARACHI:
In any beach town, the beach is the main place providing a serene leisure space to spend lazy days and enjoy lively evenings. Yet when institutional neglect and lack of public awareness turn coastal areas into dumping grounds, families who hoped to stroll the shore find themselves tiptoeing around a beach of trash.
Although a solid waste collection system exists within the Cantonment Board limits at Clifton Beach, cleaning is not carried out regularly. However, in municipal areas, there is hardly any mechanism for cleaning. As a result, much of Karachi’s coastline remains neglected.
Karachi has a coastline approximately 75 kilometers long, where land control is divided between federal and provincial authorities, municipal bodies, cantonment boards and private entities. Major picnic spots along this stretch include Clifton Beach (Sea View), Hawksbay, Sands Pit, Turtle Beach, Sunehri Beach and French Beach.
Marine pollution has gradually become one of Karachi’s most stubborn urban problems, sparking repeated concerns in local media but few lasting responses on the ground. Despite having Pakistan’s longest urban coastline and being the country’s main port city, Karachi continues to discharge large volumes of untreated sewage, industrial waste and solid waste into the Arabian Sea on a daily basis.
An official of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the land along the coastline was controlled by several entities, including the Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim, provincial revenue department, Karachi Fish Harbour, DHA, Clifton Cantonment Board, Manora Cantonment Board, KMC, Karachi Development Authority, Lyari Development Authority, Maripur Town Municipal Authority and other public and private institutions.
“Some parts of Clifton Beach come under the jurisdiction of the Clifton Cantonment Board (CBC), where a cleaning system exists, while areas under the KMC do not have any formal sanitation arrangements,” the official said. Conversely, a CBC spokesperson stressed that Clifton Beach and Sea View, within the cantonment limits, were cleaned daily and trash bins had been installed for the convenience of visitors.
Tariq Nizamani, director general of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB), said the board was responsible for sanitation of residential areas along the coast that fell under municipal limits, but not picnic spots such as Clifton Beach. “However, if we are contacted officially, we can also start cleaning,” he said, adding that the board was currently managing sanitation in coastal colonies including Lala Bhakar, Baba Bhit, Shamspir, Keamari and Ibrahim Hyderi.
Maripur Town UC-2 President Lala Bhakar Mubarak Sindho Baloch claimed that the SSWMB was providing sanitation services in residential areas in its union council, but picnic spots such as Hawksbay, Paradise Point and French Beach were left unattended. “From time to time, NGOs or students clean these areas, otherwise the waste ends up being washed into the sea by the waves,” he explained.
Environmental groups have warned of the growing amount of plastic pollution along coasts. Discarded fishing nets, packaging materials and single-use plastics now dominate beach litter, while scientific studies cited in the media have detected microplastics in coastal sand and marine species. These findings have fueled concerns about long-term ecological damage and potential health risks to seafood-dependent communities.
WWF advisor Moazzam Khan revealed that the build-up of waste at Clifton Beach was due to two major factors. “Large quantities of solid waste are carried into the sea through storm drains and nullahs, while domestic sewage and industrial effluents have been dumped untreated into the sea for decades,” he told The Express PK Press Club, further adding that waste left behind by visitors also contributed to coastal pollution.
Khan referred to Cyclone Biparjoy, which developed in the Arabian Sea and made landfall between Mandvi in Gujarat in India and near Jakhau port near Keti Bandar in Pakistan on June 15, 2023. Although the cyclone did not directly hit Karachi, it passed about 120 kilometers southeast of the city, triggering strong tidal activity. This caused violent waves along the Karachi coast, flooding low-lying areas and disturbing the seabed, bringing long-submerged waste to shore.
“Clifton was the worst affected area, where huge quantities of waste surfaced and spread on the beach, creating foul odors,” noted Khan, who explained that Clifton Beach faces the Arabian Sea and is between two rivers on the eastern side and the South Asia Pakistan Terminals (SAPT) on the western side.
To analyze the composition of the waste deposited after the cyclone, samples were taken from an area of 10×10 square meters. The analysis found that 43 percent of the waste consisted of polyurethane commonly used in boats. Polystyrene (Styrofoam), widely used for packaging, accounted for 27 percent. Other materials included discarded fishing nets (6 percent), plastic bags (5 percent), baskets (4 percent), plastic bottles (4 percent) and wires/cables (3 percent), while the remaining 8 percent consisted of household and unidentifiable items.
In total, more than 75 percent of the waste was plastic. The analysis suggested that the waste had been present in the sea for a long time and was pushed towards shore by tidal activity. Its composition indicated that most of it did not come locally from Clifton but was largely linked to the fishing industry. Khan noted that such waste usually accumulates around the Karachi fishing port, located about 12 kilometers west of Clifton.
During high tides, monsoon rains and cyclonic activity, this waste is frequently washed ashore, contaminating popular recreational areas. In addition to plastic debris, beachgoers at Sea View and other coastal points regularly encounter wine bottles, shards of glass, pieces of fabric, shoes, cigarettes, cutlery, food scraps, charcoal and barbecue waste, and foul-smelling sludge, a problem repeatedly documented in local newspapers and television reports.
Environmental expert Hina Moin revealed that her team conducted several visits and research studies at Clifton Beach over different periods. “Tourists frequently dump plastic and other waste on the beach, while untreated domestic and industrial effluents enter the sea through the nullahs. This not only harms the marine life but also seriously pollutes the coastline. Research stations were established between Bilawal House and Do Darya, where sand samples were collected using quadrate sampling methods,” Moin noted.
“From just one gram of sand at each station, we found between 25 and 3,000 microplastic particles,” Moin said, noting that the highest concentration was found in Do Darya due to waste from nearby restaurants that washed into the sea. “After the 2023 cyclone, researchers found blood clams along the shores of Clifton. Examination of the dead organisms inside revealed contamination microplastic, further highlighting the scale of marine pollution,” Moin added.
An investigation by The Express PK Press Club revealed that the main source of coastal pollution was untreated domestic sewage and industrial waste discharged through the Lyari and Malir rivers and storm drains. Large quantities of solid household waste were also dumped into these sewers as they passed through densely populated areas, eventually reaching the sea and polluting beaches like Clifton. Citizens visiting beaches for leisure often leave behind plastic bottles, shopping bags and other waste due to a lack of civic responsibility.
Regional planner Dr Syed Nawaz Al-Huda also assessed that Karachi’s coastline was seriously polluted. “In recent years, civil society groups, universities and NGOs have organized beach clean-up campaigns, including at Phase 8 and Sea View. During these drives, volunteers collected several tonnes of waste, including plastic, styrofoam, hospital waste and discarded clothes, within a few hours, which were then disposed of by the Clifton Cantonment Board,” Dr Al-Huda noted.
What further complicates beach cleaning is weak monitoring and lack of coordination. Control of Karachi’s coastline is spread across multiple federal, provincial and municipal agencies, creating accountability gaps. While clean-up campaigns led by civil society and students periodically draw attention to the crisis, experts warn that without coherent institutional action, Karachi’s coastline will continue to absorb the consequences of uncontrolled urban waste and environmental neglect.
“Cantonment boards and municipal authorities must establish an effective and regular cleaning system, especially at Clifton Beach, to ensure that civic groups are not forced to intervene repeatedly and that Karachi’s coastline remains clean,” implored Dr Al-Huda.
