Coastal Zones

Biography

Biography: Ahmed Kamal

Abstract

Issue of increasing sea water intrusion into coastal city of Karachi and sorrounding areas upto the Kotri barrage upstream on River Indus has remained been a looming environmental disaster besides danger to the freshwater flora and fauna. With a view to bring out solutions to likely consequences of this increasing sea water intrusion into river Indus upstream, to ascertain minimum fresh water needs to determine the minimum desirable quantity of Indus water that needs to pass through Kotri Barrage (the last structure before Indus water enters Arabian Sea) and its distribution through out the year to preserve the ecology and environment of the delta areas with regards to forest and mangroves, fisheries, flora and fauna scientific work has been undertaken suggesting practical solutions to avert the likely disaster to existing coastal zone environment. The scientific work has suggested replacement of Zero release below Kotri Barrage on River Indus with a minimum of 1,000 cusecs even in the dry years besides suggesting location of interface in the tidal range to substantially eliminate sea water intrusion with certain estimates of annual flow volumes. At a future time with the development of additional storage in the Indus River system, a structural measure to ensure availability of fresh water has also been proposed. A minimum annual discharge of fresh water below Kotri Barrage has been recommended for release to improve the present mangrove situation. Estimates of fresh water to maintain vegetation cover/irrigation plantation, to maintain Agro forestry and to practice afforestation techniques have been recommended to be employed. The study intend to suggest effective disaster mitigation measures through effective water release practices