Karachi Unveils Pakistan’s First Sponge Park to Tackle Water Scarcity

Karachi has inaugurated Pakistan’s first experimental sponge park at Jamali Park in Gulberg Block 2, marking a new approach to managing rainwater and replenishing groundwater. The project, developed through a six-month public-private partnership involving WWF-Pakistan, Gulberg Town Municipal Corporation, and other stakeholders, aims to address water scarcity, urban flooding, and declining groundwater reserves.

The sponge park system uses specially designed landscapes, permeable surfaces, and underground filters to capture rainwater, remove impurities, and store it underground for future non-drinking uses. This reduces the amount of rainwater flowing into conventional drainage systems and eventually reaching the sea.

Additionally, the park will reuse ablution water from a nearby mosque. This water will pass through several filtration stages before being used to irrigate plants and trees, thereby reducing the need for freshwater. The locally developed underground filters contain layers of gravel, coarse aggregates, sand, silica, activated carbon, biochar, and zeolite, which work together to remove suspended particles, organic matter, and certain chemical contaminants.

Naeem Ashraf, director of biodiversity at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, highlighted that Pakistan has extensively exploited its underground freshwater reserves through borewells and other extraction methods. The sponge park is a step towards sustainable water management, offering a model that could be replicated in other cities facing similar challenges.

The initiative is expected to serve as a pilot project for urban water management in Pakistan, demonstrating how green infrastructure can mitigate the impacts of climate change and rapid urbanization. By capturing and storing rainwater, the sponge park not only reduces flooding but also contributes to groundwater recharge, a critical need in water-stressed regions.

The collaboration between public and private sectors underscores the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in addressing environmental challenges. As Pakistan grapples with water scarcity, such innovative solutions could play a vital role in securing water resources for future generations.