Student Society for Climate Change (SSCCA) is a society collaborating with the youth of South Asia to instill values of responsibility and accountability towards climate change. It is without a doubt, the youth of any nation that steer a country to success. The decisions taken by the youth determine which issues are worthy enough of the country’s attention and resources and which come lower in the priority list. Climate change needs to be treated as the emergency it is.
In order to address this pressing issue, four students from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) collaborated with the SSCCA, and after several altering and engaging sessions with climate experts, finally rested on the idea of constructing floating wetlands in the rivers of Karachi to direct attention to the alarmingly polluted water bodies in the country, especially the Korangi and Lyari River.
Floating wetlands are buoyant structures built to support plant growth in water bodies that are typically too deep for them. The plant roots extend into the water bodies and form dense networks that serve as breeding grounds for aquatic life. Apart from that, floating wetlands make use of natural processes like bioremediation and phytoremediation to absorb large quantities of pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorous to support healthy plant growth, while adding to the scenic beauty. These structures are a cost effective and highly efficient method to cleanse water bodies without requiring hefty amounts of capital or advanced technology. They also require minimal human intervention and don’t have to be maintained on a regular basis.
The world has welcomed the idea of Constructed Floating Wetlands with open arms and can be seen installed in various countries. The United States of America is reported to having the highest number of floating wetlands, after which comes Europe, accompanied with other countries down the line, like Africa and Asia. Despite the plethora of benefits of Floating Wetlands, Pakistan has remained rather oblivious to this solution which could help reverse and mitigate the negative impacts of having a polluted river in the midst of a region where people live and suffer daily as a result. Although a pilot test has been started by the Punjab government in Sheikhupura and Faisalabad to raise awareness on the overarching involvement of polluted rivers in the lives of the inhabitants, no such initiative has been taken by the Sindh government to address the pollution of the Korangi and Lyari River, which are been severely affected by the industrial areas especially the Korangi Industrial Trading Estate (KITE) (Dawn, 2023).
To take matters into their own hands, students from the IBA in partnership with the Student Society decided to target the rivers of Korangi and Lyari by installing floating wetlands. The absence of initiatives taken has not only resulted in a loss of biodiversity and aquatic life, but is also posing serious health issues for the civilians who are constantly exposed to the poor air quality and smell of contaminants. The chemicals in the river seep into the groundwater making it unfit for human consumption, unsurprisingly resulting in numerous skin and lung diseases.
The mission they have so eagerly set out on has never been touched upon in Pakistan and to make a difference, they desperately and inevitably seek the support of our youth and our people who deeply care about the best interest of the country and are determined to make it a safe haven for our future generations. It is our responsibility to take a stand for our country’s neglected issues and demand social justice and to not let our people suffer woefully at the hands of a rapidly plummeting climate crisis.
