KARACHI may be Pakistan’s largest city and its economic engine, but the metropolis suffers from a poor quality of life for the teeming millions who call it home. This is mainly due to official neglect, manifested in the form of crumbling infrastructure, high pollution levels, and violent crime. Yet the city is due to expand in the decades to come, and unless there is commensurate planning to cope with this growth, an even more unliveable urban hell awaits future generations. According to the UN’s World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 report, Karachi could be the globe’s fifth most populous city by 2050, with a population of around 33m. This is in keeping with the worldwide trend of rapid urbanisation. But as Karachi expands, its services and infrastructure are not growing apace. As per the Economist Intelligence Unit’s ranking from earlier this year, it is amongst the world’s five least liveable cities. If this dubious distinction is to change, much work is needed at the official level.
The Sindh government has said that the ‘Greater Karachi Regional Plan, 2047’ will be ready within two years. There is, of course, much to address: damaged roads, water shortages, a broken sewage system, encroachments, lack of integrated public transport, etc. It is hoped that the master plan that is in the works focuses on these and other problems the megacity faces. Perhaps Karachi has suffered over the decades more due to lack of political will to make things better, rather than a lack of funding or planning. Among the many solutions offered is a more responsive local government system, with directly elected officials — from the mayor to local councillors — who can be held to account by the voter for lack of service delivery. The Sindh government often talks of protecting provincial autonomy; yet it should also extend this spirit of devolution to the province’s local governments, particularly in urban spaces. As the UN report suggests, “sustainable development requires integrated planning” that coordinates “housing, land use, mobility and basic services”. If Karachi is to be transformed into a liveable city, integrating these solutions is essential. But if the same old empty rhetoric and official apathy continue, the megacity may further be disfigured by an exacerbated chaotic urban sprawl and an exploding population in an environment where only the law of the jungle prevails.
Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2025
