Karachi Is Heating Up — And It’s Time Businesses Plant the Future

In 2015, over 1,200 Karachiites died in a single heatwave. Since then, the city has only gotten hotter, drier, and harder to live in. The summers now stretch for months.

Rainfall patterns are collapsing. Borewells are drying up. And millions of Karachi’s poorest residents are struggling to survive in homes that trap more heat than they release.

Karachi is facing a climate emergency, and businesses can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines.

As the CTO of East River Digital, I see it this way: If we don't invest in Karachi’s climate resilience, everything we build — technology, talent, infrastructure — will melt under the pressure of environmental collapse.

This is why I'm calling on every business, startup, tech firm, bank, mall, school, and warehouse in Karachi:

Let’s plant our way to survival.

🔥 Karachi’s Climate Breakdown

• 🌡️ Summer temperatures have hit 48°C

• 💧 Over 10 million people don’t get piped water

• 🌳 Tree cover is under 7%

• 🏙️ The city loses more green space every year to concrete, steel, and careless construction

Climate change is already here — but it's being made worse by decisions we’ve made on the ground.

💧 Groundwater Is Disappearing — And We’re To Blame

Karachi sits on ancient underground aquifers. But we’re draining them through unchecked borewells while stopping natural recharge:

• Concrete blocks rain from soaking into the soil

• Trees that once helped hold water in the ground have been cut down

• There is no citywide rainwater harvesting strategy

Water theft, tanker mafias, and illegal construction have made things worse. And borewells? They’re a short-term fix with long-term destruction.

🌪️ Climate Change + Arabian Sea = More Cyclones, Less Rain

As oceans heat up, storms like Cyclone Biparjoy are becoming longer and stronger. These cyclones:

• Suck moisture from monsoon winds

• Leave Karachi dry, dusty, and exposed

• Increase urban flooding when rains do come, because we’ve destroyed the natural drainage

We need a city-wide climate resilience plan, not just post-disaster cleanups.

🌳 Why Trees Are Our Best Investment — Especially Native Trees

Every tree planted in Karachi matters. But not every tree helps. In fact, the city’s obsession with Conocarpus — a fast-growing, non-native tree — has damaged biodiversity, caused respiratory issues, and clogged sewer lines.

Instead, we must plant indigenous, climate-resilient species that require less care and offer far more benefits.

🌱 Recommended Native Trees for Karachi:

When planning tree plantations in Karachi, choosing native, climate-resilient species is critical:

1. Neem is one of the most effective trees for urban settings — it's fast-growing, drought-resistant, improves air quality, and even has medicinal properties. 

2. Peepal, known for its expansive leaves and long lifespan, excels at air purification and has deep roots that help recharge groundwater levels. 

3. The Banyan tree, with its majestic canopy and aerial roots, provides massive shade, cools entire blocks, and thrives for decades, even centuries. 

4. Amaltas, native to Sindh, is a beautiful flowering tree that offers vibrant yellow blossoms and reliable shade during peak summer months. 

5. Gulmohar adds a burst of red color to the landscape, while also offering a powerful cooling effect and requiring very little maintenance. 

6. Lignum (Rohida) is a compact, hardy species ideal for sidewalks and roadside planting, with blossoms that attract bees and other pollinators. 

7. Moringa, often called the “miracle tree,” is nutrient-rich, fast-growing, and helps improve soil fertility. 

8. Finally, Kachnar — with its delicate pink flowers — supports local bird and insect life, making it a perfect addition for biodiversity corridors within the city.

They serve multiple purposes:

• 🌳 Provide food for humans, birds, bees, and butterflies

• 🌿 Improve biodiversity and ecosystem balance

• 🧒 Create educational opportunities for schools and communities

• 🍊 Support local food security and reduce reliance on imported produce

While native shade and cooling trees like Neem, Peepal, and Banyan are essential for climate resilience, we must not overlook the value of fruit-bearing trees.

🍇 Fruit Trees to Consider for Karachi (alongside native species):

• Mango (آم) – A classic, shade-giving and deeply rooted tree

• Jamun (جمن) – Hardy, resilient, supports bird life

• Chiku (چیکو) – Compact and productive

• Moringa – Already listed, offers edible leaves, pods, and flowers

• Ber (بیری) – Thrives in arid climates, provides fruit and shade

• Guava (امرود) – Popular, fast-growing, and beloved by pollinators

Combining shade trees + fruit trees makes every plantation more inclusive, nutritious, and biodiverse — a win for climate and community alike.

🏢 What Can Businesses Actually Do?

If you're wondering how to make a real impact, here are practical, affordable, and scalable actions for any business:

✅ 1. Plant Native Trees on All Properties

• Rooftops, parking lots, building perimeters, factory grounds

• 50–100 trees can cool an entire office zone

✅ 2. Build Rooftop Gardens

• Use planters, vertical walls, or shaded trellises

• Reduces indoor heat by 3–6°C

• Lowers energy bills significantly

✅ 3. Install Rainwater Harvesting Tanks

• Reuse for irrigation, cooling towers, and restrooms

• A 10,000-liter tank can collect enough for 15–20 days of non-potable use

✅ 4. Sponsor Green Zones in Low-Income Areas

• Partner with schools, hospitals, mosques, and NGOs

• These communities are most exposed and least protected

✅ 5. Use Digital Tools

• Geotag your trees using QR codes (NIC Karachi has done this)

• Track survival rates, tree health, and watering schedules

• Use IoT sensors to track rooftop soil moisture, water use

✅ 6. Build Employee Ownership

• Give staff a “tree to adopt.”

• Offer green stipends for rooftop gardens or balcony plants

• Celebrate a “Green Week” annually to plant and maintain trees

🤝 Who Can Help You?

You don’t have to start from scratch. Karachi already has pioneers doing powerful work in this space.

🌟 Local Heroes to Learn From / Partner With:

• Masood Lohar – Founder of Clifton Urban Forest, advocate of Miyawaki forests in Karachi Masood Lohar 

• Wahab Shah Bukhari – Leads rooftop gardens and tech-enabled plantations Wahab Shah Bukhari 

• WWF Pakistan – Runs tree drives in universities and public spaces WWF - Pakistan 

• Raheela Jawed – Offers free native plants across Karachi Raheela Jawed 

• Syed Nayyar Iqbal Raza – Mobilizing students for tree drives in Korangi and beyond Syed Nayyar Iqbal Raza 

• Tofiq Pasha Mooraj 

• Orange Tree Foundation 

These individuals and groups are ready to support, advise, and collaborate. Reach out to them. Fund them. Or join forces.

💸 Why This Makes Business Sense

This isn’t charity. This is climate insurance.

• 🧾 Tax Deductions for CSR tree planting

• 🏢 Reduced utility bills via shading & evapotranspiration

• 🧠 Increased employee morale and retention in greener offices

• 🧰 Resilience against water cuts and power loadshedding

• 🏆 Brand value from doing something real, not performative

And above all, climate risk is business risk. What good is your profit if your city cannot breathe?

🌍 Final Words: A Future We Plant Together

Karachi is not broken beyond repair. But it is running out of time.

If every business planted just 100 trees, if every building captured 1000 liters of rain, and if every roof grew 10 square feet of green, we could turn this city around within a decade.

Let this not be another LinkedIn post we scroll past. Let it be a blueprint for survival. For jobs. For innovation. For life.

Let’s plant the future — or be buried by the mistakes of the past.