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KARACHI, Nov 04 (APP):More than 2,000 mangrove saplings were planted off Karachi’s coast in a student-led effort to restore the city’s natural defences against rising seas and storm surges, and to mark World Tsunami Awareness Day.
Over 100 Mass Communication undergraduates from the University of Karachi joined the Mangrove Crew’s student-led safari to Kaderu Island, off Rehri Gothon Sunday which blended plantation drive with eco-tourism and disaster-education sessions.
The exercise targets community-led protection for a shoreline battered by tidal surges and sea-level rise, compounded by the loss of mangrove forests that once shielded fishing villages and marine habitats.
The Chairman Town Municipal Corporation of Ibrahim Hyderi Nazeer Ahmed Bhutto commended the youth turnout, calling mangroves essential to Karachi’s coastal defence.
“Mangroves revival along the coastline of Sindh demands emergency synergetic efforts from government and citizens alike for enhancing resilience against natural disasters like Tsunamis.”
A Chairman of Mahigeer Samaji Sangat, a local NGO, Younus Khaskhily highlighted how mangroves sustain marine life and local fishing livelihoods. “These 2,000 mangrove saplings planted today will help restore native green buffers and reduce wave force to protect coastal communities in future. We must continue such initiatives.”
The Mangrove Crew Supervisor and a faculty of KU’s MCD Samina Qureshi said the Mangrove Crew is a student led initiative to enhance coastal resilience.
She added that the initiative aims to promote community-based coastal protection through mangrove plantation, guided learning, and eco-tourism.
“Karachi’s coastline faces growing threats from cyclones, tidal surges, and rising sea levels, challenges made worse by the loss of mangrove forests that serve as natural barriers.”
Participants of the University of Karachi emphasized that such field experiences raise awareness about environmental responsibility among youth.
They described the plantation as Sadqa-e-Jariyah, an ongoing act of giving that benefits both people and the planet.
The initiative supports SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land) through the restoration of mangrove corridors that act as Karachi’s first line of defence against natural disasters.
The World Tsunami Awareness Day is commemorated on November 05, (today), each year.