‘Land erosion threatening Navy installations’

[313baberali]

The Nation (report by fawad).this time danger is our own sea because sea needs water of indus.thatta and other coastal cities are in danger ,navy also have threats to its installations,many proposals were given in islamabad.lets start this thread with your best knowlege.my input is some cities in the world have sea walls,so as we know india blocks our water so i think only possible is some sort of barrier at sindh coastal islands ,which block sea.might be helpful ,result might be rise in land because barrier will also stop the indus water to merge directly with sea with will help to settle down the sand in creek area.please give your solutions to handle this threat .a help to sindh province

Islamabad - Chairman Senate Standing Committee, on Planning and reforms, has said the country is losing land due to erosion which poses a threat to defense installations of Pakistan Navy located on the coastal area.
Senate standing committee on Planning and reforms met here Monday to discuss serious issue of sea erosion. Senator Kareem Khawaja, Chairman of Senate standing committee on Planning and reforms chaired the meeting.
Representative of the ministry of Planning informed that the issue of sea intrusion/land erosion is not the part of the vision 2025.
“It is deplorable that important issue of land erosion due to sea intrusion was not included in the vision 2025 of the Planning commission,” Senator Kareem Khawaja said. “Sea intrusion is a serious issue which not only causes land loss but can also affect our defense installation” he said.
Chairman of the committee further informed that the researchers who have conducted the study of the sea intrusion received threats.
A few months back in a briefing, to the standing committee on Science and Technology, the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) warned that three coastal cities in Pakistan’s Sindh province, including Karachi, Badin and Thatta would be submerged by 2060 if the current trends of sea erosion are not stopped.
The official from Pakistan Navy informed that they are keeping a constant eye on situation in the coastal areas and are regularly conducting studies in this regard. “We have complete data of the 990 Km coastal area of the country” he claimed.
Irsa member from Punjab, Rao Irshad while briefing the committee said that the Authority has conducted series of studies on the issues pertaining to; water escapages below Kotri Barrage to check seawater intrusion, water release downstream of Kotri Barrage to address environmental concerns and environmental concerns of all the four provinces. Rao said that Irsa had submitted its report to the ministry of Water and Power in 2005 but is still waiting for the reply from the ministry.
He said that in order to have an independent external review of the studies an International Panel of Experts (IOPE) was appointed. The IOPE has recommended an escapage of 5000 cusec feet per day, downstream Kotri, throughout the year to check sea intrusion, accommodate the need for fisheries, environmental sustainability and to maintain river channel.
“The IOPE understands the problem of sea intrusion/coastal erosion as occurring in the Indus Delta area and considers this as a National problem,” member Irsa maintained. He said that the reason, for sea intrusion, identified by the IOPE are primarily; reduction in sediment supply by Indus River, reduction in the Mangrove vegetation, prevention of flooding of the outlying delta areas due to the river bunds, sea level rise.
He further said that the IOPE also recommended a release of 25 maf in five years in a concentrated way as flood flow (Kharif Period). For the increase in Mangrove vegetation, the IOPE recommended a certain flow of water, sediment supply, control camel grazing, stop fire wood cutting and more Mangrove plantation.
Director General of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) said that climate change, through increased intrusion of sea water into the Indus deltaic region could affect the whole range of marine life besides causing degradation of crucial ecosystems such as mangroves. “Major changes in river flow below Kotri have affected the ecology in lower Sindh and the coastal area significantly, besides adversely affecting agriculture production,” DG NIO said.
He said that the increase in salinity due to depleting fresh water contribution by the Indus River has reduced the suitability of the delta for the cultivation of red rice, the production of exotic fruit and raising livestock.
Regarding Baluchistan, the DG said that Baluchistan coast is facing issues related to coastal erosion and accretion and is not experiencing any sea water intrusion. “NIO is conducting a detailed study of the Indus Deltaic area with the technical assistance of Chinese Research Institution. Two of the NIO scientists are working at China on samples and data of Indus Delta,” he informed.
Dr Sarfraz Hussain Solangi, Pro-Vice Chancellor University of Sindh Campus, Jamshoro said in his presentation that the temperature is definitely rising which is a visible sign of climate change.
Karachi is expected to have an increase of 3 Degree by year 2100 while Northern areas may have an increase of 5 degree centigrade by year 2100.
The sea Levels are rising globally and with every one foot rise in sea level is expected to submerge 615 sq km of coastal land in Sindh alone, Dr Solangi said.

He said that groundwater up to Sujawal which is about 75 km from the coast seems very much affected due to the seawater intrusions. “The contribution of seawater into groundwater ranges from 41-49 % at Jati, which is about 45km from the coast. The contribution of seawater into groundwater ranges from 83-92% at Shah Bundar, which is nearest to the coast,” Dr Solangi informed.
During November 2003 the contribution of seawater into groundwater was lowered upto the extent of minimum 17 % at Sujawal and maximum 77 % at Shah Bundar due to release of about 20 MAF fresh river water downstream below the Kotri barrage, he added.
Coastal area of Sindh including delta was nourished with northern sediments brought by Indus through past millions of years but the sedimentation reduced and now nearly stopped due to irrigation system including Barrages and Dams. Due to rising sea level globally and reverse in Delta building Process Sea is intruding landward, he said.
“To prevent sea intrusion adequate fresh (river) water should be released downstream below the Kotri barrage. It is further suggested that the flow of water shall be regularized and spread throughout the year so that fresh water from Indus river should infiltrate subsurface and adjoining areas for whole year round and consequently stop the present / existing seawater intrusions completely,” Dr Solangi maintained.
It was also decided to constitute a subcommittee, comprising of senators and technical experts to help the government on the issue.

Saturday, January 09, 2016 - Islamabad—Senate Standing Committee, on Planning, Development and reforms Friday stressed the need for resolving issues of nonconventional security threats of the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Senate SubCommittee on Planning, Development and reforms met here with its convener Senator Kareem Khawaja in the chair to discuss serious issue of sea erosion.

Kareem Khawaja, on the occasion said “We need to understand the gravity of issue in the provinces which are facing serious threats of sea intrusion and land erosion”. He asked theFederation to take interest in these issues and resolve them with the consensus of all provincial and political stakeholder.

Senator Kareem Khawaja said that 1.2 million acre land of Sindh province had lost due to sea intrusion and land erosion. “Sea intrusion is a serious issue which not only causes land loss but can also affect our defense installation” he said.

Meanwhile representative of the ministry of Planning informed that sea intrusion and landerosion was a provincial government issue and commission was working under the central government. He said that the issue of sea intrusion and land erosion was not part of the vision 2025. The official from Pakistan Navy informed that they were keeping a constant eye on situation in the coastal areas.—APP

 

[That Guy]

Why do you think our mullahs are so well fed. Their fat will ensure that they float on water without any other aid. Having said that the thought of Maulana Diesel in the sea sends shivers down my spine.BRRRRRRRRRR

lol, I can't stop laughing.

 

[Viper0011.]

The Nation (report by fawad).this time danger is our own sea because sea needs water of indus.

There is a much simpler resolution to this, that helps Pakistan in MANY ways. Across the Rivers and Ocean lines (not including the beaches), grow thick and tall trees. As these trees will have access to moisture and water, they'll grow rapidly, and when they grow to a certain degree, you take them out and ship them to wherever the need to plant larger trees may be, like in between highways, on the edges of main highways or thoroughfares, etc. And plant more seeds or smaller trees on River and Ocean banks, these will serve as a massive nursery without anyone needing to water these trees or care for them.
These trees will also provide protection from land erosion and even during natural weather related issues like flooding, etc.

 

[313baberali]

There is a much simpler resolution to this, that helps Pakistan in MANY ways. Across the Rivers and Ocean lines (not including the beaches), grow thick and tall trees. As these trees will have access to moisture and water, they'll grow rapidly, and when they grow to a certain degree, you take them out and ship them to wherever the need to plant larger trees may be, like in between highways, on the edges of main highways or thoroughfares, etc. And plant more seeds or smaller trees on River and Ocean banks, these will serve as a massive nursery without anyone needing to water these trees or care for them.
These trees will also provide protection from land erosion and even during natural weather related issues like flooding, etc.

This erosion is directly related to indus water,before when rivers flow whole year to the delta area they bring lots of mud and sand with them and because of this sea goes back and our land area increase,now no more river water goes which is killing magroves and rapidly sea is taking land.and major reason of this is indian control on rivers due to which more than half of water of indus is loss.and rest is our own bkunders

 

[313baberali]

Sea intrusion threatens coastal areas of Sindh, Balochistan - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

ISLAMABAD: Members of a Senate committee will undertake a three-day visit to coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan to assess the damage being caused by sea intrusion and suggest measures to prevent a possible future disaster.

The three-member sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reforms headed by Dr Karim Ahmed Khawaja of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will have an aerial view of coastal areas by a helicopter to be provided by Pakistan Navy.

The committee members plan to visit coastal areas of Badin and Thatta in Sindh and Gwadar in Balochistan after receiving briefings from experts in Karachi.

Talking to Dawn here on Monday, Dr Khawaja regretted that the Ministry of Planning and Development had constantly been insisting that the issue fell in the domain of provincial governments.

Senate committee members to undertake aerial view to assess the damage caused by sea intrusion
On the other hand, he said, provincial authorities were not aware of the gravity of the disaster which the two provinces might face in future because of the sea intrusion.

He said the committee members believed that the issue related to both federal and provincial governments and it should be part of the Vision 2025 Programme of the PML-N government.

Dr Khawaja, who had initially raised the issue in Senate two years ago, said that there were a number of stakeholders and departments concerned both at the federal and provincial levels. They are planning and development, water and power, revenue, disaster management, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), Indus River System Authority (Irsa), coastal development authorities and irrigation department.

The PPP senator said that the committee planned to hold meetings with officials of each of these departments to know their viewpoint on the issue. The committee, he said, would then finalise its recommendations, which would be presented before the Senate after approval by the main committee.

He said the committee’s visit to coastal areas was scheduled to start from Wednesday, but had been postponed for a few days because of the summoning of the Senate session to discuss the PIA issue. The committee members will undertake the visit as soon as the session was over.

Last month, a number of experts had informed the Senate Committee on Planning, Development and Reforms that sea intrusion had already devoured about two million hectares of land along coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan.

The meeting was informed how Pakistan Navy, NIO and Suparco were using satellite imagery to record the pace of sea intrusion, but precise data was still not available because of shortage of funding.

The experts said that climate change and especially human interference with nature’s course were main reasons for the erosion.

According to NIO director general Dr Asif Inam, Pakistan had 30 to 40 years to take mitigation measures.

Besides the Senate Committee on Planning, Development and Reforms, the issue was previously taken up by the House Committee on Science and Technology, which had also finalised its recommendations and sent them to the prime minister last year.

The recommendations included measures like plantation drives and de-silting of dams.

In one of the meetings of the science and technology committee in February last year, members were informed that Badin and Thatta would drown in the next 30 years followed by Karachi, if immediate steps were not taken to check the sea intrusion. The members were told that the level of seawater was rising at a rate of 1.3 millimetres per year.

An official of the Badin administration had disclosed that over 31,000 acres of land of the Badin district had already been devoured by sea

 

[shah1398]

Need to protect the Mangrove Forests of Indus delta in the Sindh esp from deforestation and cultivate more trees along the costline. This is the quick and long term solution to the problem of land erosion n protection against floods.

The mangroves of Karachi — facing an existential threat? - The Express Tribune

Mangrove acts as a barrier for the protection of coastal regions/ports against the disastrous natural phenomenon such as cyclones, wind storms, flooding and soil erosion etc.

.:: Sindh Forest ::.

 

[313baberali]

http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/172/41715/

Sea intrusion threatens Karachi, Thatta, Badin and Sajawal: Senate body told

Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development & Reforms was informed on Thursday that Karachi, Badin, Thatta and Sajawal will be facing the threats of getting submerged under the sea in the next 25-years if the current trend of sea intrusion was not stopped. The Committee met here with Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi in the Chair at Parliament House on Thursday and discussed the report of the sub-committee under the convenership of Senator Karim Ahmed Khawaja about coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan due to sea intrusion and development projects of the Ministry of Water and Power.

Talking to this corrospondent, Mashhadi said this was a very serious issue but the federal and provincial governments were not taking safety and pre-emptive measures to control the situation. He said that the Sub-Committee presented a comprehensive report before the Committee. According to the report, he said, Badin, Thatta and Karachi could be submerged by the sea in the next 25 years.

According to the report of Sub-Committee available with Business Recorder, "The sea makes its presence felt as a live moving phenomenon giving away its treasures and spilling out its spoils in many ways and in other ways, taking the lands near it into its subjugation".

"In the words of Shelley, the waters of the sea are 'brackish with the salt of human tears', our very precious national assets Karachi, Badin and Thatta are facing the threat of getting submerged under the sea by 2040 if the current trends of sea intrusions are not checked. This losing of lands due to sea intrusion also poses a threat to defence installations of the Pakistan Navy located in the coastal areas. Every single foot raise in the sea level is expected to submerge 615 sq. kms of coastal land in Sindh alone.

The silver lining in the cloud is the remarkable and unprecedented achievement by Pakistan in the form of approval of the Pakistani Outer Limit of Continental Shelf by the UN on March, 13 2015 which has given Pakistan exclusive rights of exploration and exploitation of sea bed and sub-soil resources over an area of 50,000 sq. kms as Pakistan's sea limits have extended from 200 t0 350 N.M. Pakistan's case was based on more than three km thick sediments deposited in the Arabian Sea by the Indus River since last several million years. As per international studies, this area is rich with billions of dollars worth of oil & gas and mineral resources."

In the report, the role of the members of Sub-Committee, Senator Mohsin Leghari and Senator Siraj-ul-Haq were appreciated for taking keen interest in the issues and for their active participation in this regard. Stakeholders were also lauded including Pakistan Navy, National Institute of Oceanography, SUPARCO, Wapda, IRSA, Hydraulics Department, Ministry of Science and Technology and experts in the field who remained dedicated to the cause of the Sub-Committee and provided much-needed technical expertise and support when and where required.

The committee adopted report of its Sub-Committee on the subject of sea intrusion and land erosion in the coastal areas of Pakistan. The convenor of the Sub-Committee Senator Dr Karim Ahmed Khawaja briefed the committee about the visit of the Sub-Committee to coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan and explained the major recommendations compiled in the report.

The Sub-Committee has recommended that the issue of land erosion be taken up in the next meeting of Council of Common Interests (CCI). It has also recommended that the subject of sea intrusion should be included in the vision-2025. The committee noted that this report is just a stimulous and Ministry of Planning and Development has to make sure that all stakeholders are invited for discussion.

Senator Saud Majeed, who is also a member of the Prime Minister's Special Committee on Planning and Development, assured the committee that this report will be taken up in the next meeting of the Special Committee. The committee, in the first step of hearing all ministries regarding development projects, held a briefing of Ministry of Water and Power and was given a detailed list of all ongoing projects with segregation of funds allocation, work completed and order of priority. The committee gave suggestions for making the projects environmentally sustainable, profitable to local population and economically viable. The Committee ractified the name of Mohsin Aziz as member for Pakistan Institute of Development Economics. His name was nominated by the Chairman Senate.

_---------_-----
Looks like some of us will see this in there life

 

[Cornered Tiger]

We are destroying it... Have a look at it

 

[313baberali]

Finance Ministry has not allocated Rs 500 million proposed by Defence Ministry and Ministry of Science and Technology to tackle the issues of sea intrusion, which has devoured over 2 million hectares along the coastal areas in Sindh and Balochistan. The report of a sub-committee on sea intrusion in Sindh and Balochistan was adopted by the Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reform unanimously, in which the committee made some recommendations.

The sub-committee suggested that due to intrusion of sea, a scheme must be introduced and included in the Federal Budget 2016-17 and in the Vision 2020-25 to secure coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan from sea intrusion. Due to sea intrusion, 2.2 million acres of coastal land has been submerged under sea in Sindh. Also 253KM of coastal areas have been adversely affected from Sir Creek to Karachi in Sindh to Balochistan. The Senate Committee made 12 recommendations on the issue to be included in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

In this regard, a detailed study is to be carried out by Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Science and Technology along with Pak Navy (Ministry of Defence), governments of Sindh and Balochistan, Planning and Development Division, SUPARCO and national and international academicians. In Public Sector Development Programme such a need is required to be responded by a budgetary allocation. In order to save coastal areas, allocations of such funds were considered necessary in the Federal Budget 2016-17; and these were required to be put in a Vision 2025 programme as well. Besides Planning and Development Department of Government of Sindh also supported the Senate Standing Committee's report on sea intrusion issue for allocation of funds in the federal budget 2016-17.

The winding-up speech by Finance Minister on Friday June 17, 2016 also did not include the omitted requirement proposed by Defence Ministry and Ministry of Science and Technology in this regard. Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping, also wrote a letter on June 31, 2016 to Federal Minister Finance for introducing the scheme regarding sea intrusion in Federal Budget 2016-17. In his communication, he invited the attention of Finance Minister to the fact that already 2.2 million acres of land has been swallowed by the sea from Sir Creek to Karachi. He has also invited the attention of Finance Minister to the fact that Senate of Pakistan had received a presentation from Pakistan Navy, SUPARCO, Defence Ministry, Institute of Oceanography of Science and Technology.

He has further stated in his letter to Ishaq Dar that cities, towns and sensitive instalments are on the stake, requesting him to include the sea intrusion issue in the Vision 2020-25. He further requested the Finance Minister to allocate Rs 500 million in budget 2016-17 to tackle things regarding sea intrusions. The members of Senate, who worked really harder to prepare recommendations, have shown disappointment over non-inclusion of project in the budget 2016-17
http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/172/58266/

 

[niaz]

Sea erosion is a natural phenomenon that has been going on ever since the continents and the sea came into existence. Beaches and installations alongside the beach face this threat all over the world. This is however a very serious matter and needs immediate attention.

For small islands such as in the Caribbean this could be a matter of life & death. Caribbean economy is heavy dependent on tourism because of their sunny climate and lovely sandy beaches. However land of these Islands is constantly being eroded specially during the hurricane season. In addition to the standard methods such as building sea wall and replenishing the beach sand etc., some new methods have are being proposed.

United Nations Conference on Environment & Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States at Barbados in 1994 dealt specifically with this problem. I have also read about used of artificial sea weed at Long Beach California

http://www.unesco.org/csi/act/cosalc/shore-ero.htm

Each piece of the fake seaweed consists of several 4-foot long, finger-like fronds (shape of a palm leaf) of plastic, anchored at the bottom by tubes filled with sand or polystyrene. Some of the fronds are equipped with round, white flotation devices that look like miniature ping-pong balls.

The theory behind the artificial seaweed is that anchor keeps it in place on the ocean floor while the fronds float up and wave gently, calming the currents under the surface and allowing sand suspended in the water to drop down. Instead of being carried far out to sea, the sand piles up at the shore. The seaweed does not create a new beach; it simply keeps the existing sand in place.

Another technique is ‘Beach Face Dewatering’. Theory being that if water table under the beach is lower than the ocean, after wave’s rushes up the beach; water from the wave drains away leaving part of its suspended sand on the beach enhancing sand accumulation. This involves installation of specially designed drainage system under the beach with pumps constantly removing water.

Simplest and the least expensive method is of course the age old technique of piling up stones and rocks all along the edge of the roads and buildings. These break the force of the wave as it strikes the beach at the high tide. It may be crude but it does help.

 

[.]

I hope as it seems it will be resolved isn't a big issue