Islamabad Updates

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Islamabad the Capital of Pakistan

 

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The changing face of Islamabad — 30 years of urban expansion​

In Islamabad, croplands, grasslands, and forests have been converted into urban structures, making it one of the fastest-expanding cities in the country.
Muhammad Asif
December 20, 2023

Cities are considered key battlegrounds in the fight against climate change, with rapid urbanisation presenting possibly the biggest challenge for dealing with climate-induced disasters, pollution and biodiversity loss. At the same time, cities have a major impact on a country’s financial health and are often viewed as engines of economic growth.

Globally, cities are expanding quickly. Half of the global population already lives in cities, and by 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas.

People move to cities for a variety of reasons, including better access to livelihood opportunities, healthcare, education, and social facilities. For many, cities serve as the hope for upward social mobility. Pakistan too is rapidly urbanising and in the next 20 years, there will likely be a notable increase in the number of urban areas across the country.

This projected urban development, if done in an unsustainable manner, presents a grave danger to the environment and biodiversity, raising concerns about its long-term viability as observed in the context of Islamabad.

The humble origins of Islamabad​

Islamabad, established in 1960, is a modern and planned city compared to the other urban centres of Pakistan. After Karachi, it has served as Pakistan’s capital since 1963. It is located at the base of the Margalla Hills on the Potohar Plateau, between 457 and 610 meters above sea level, and is surrounded by thick Himalayan forests. Over the years, Islamabad’s population has ballooned from 0.117 million in 1961 to 2.4 million in 2023.

This exponential growth in the city’s population may be attributed to its favourable climate, abundant green spaces, the presence of protected areas like the Margalla Hills National Park [renowned as a tourist spot], its high expatriate population, easy access to healthcare and educational facilities, and for being a hub for business and trade.

Unfortunately, such massive increases in population trigger rapid urban expansion, causing substantial changes in land use and the local ecology of cities. This leads to the replacement of natural land cover with impermeable urban materials, resulting in deforestation, habitat loss, disrupted ecosystems, and harm to biodiversity. It contributes to changing local climates, increases energy consumption, and affects air and water quantity and quality.

In Islamabad, croplands, grasslands, and forests have been converted into urban structures — housing societies, commercial markets, roads, and parking lots — making it one of the fastest-expanding cities in the country.

From 1990 to 2020​

A three-decade land use and land cover change analysis conducted by WWF-Pakistan’s Richard Garstang Conservation GIS Laboratory revealed that Islamabad’s overall built-up area has increased dramatically from 2,693 hectares in 1990 to 18,469 hectares in 2020 — a staggering increase of approximately 585 per cent. During these three decades, Islamabad has expanded at a rate of approximately 525 hectares per year.

This swift urban expansion in Islamabad has mostly taken place at the expense of productive agricultural land and grasslands — key ecosystems that provide important services such as carbon storage, a barrier to erosion, and biodiversity growth.

A large portion of Islamabad’s development has been concentrated along major roads such as the Islamabad Motorway, Lehtrar Road, Srinagar Highway, and Peshawar-Rawalpindi (N5) Road, which has in turn transformed rural areas into urban centres. The results also reveal that there have been significant transformations in the city’s landscape over the span of three decades — Islamabad had 28,060 hectares of tree cover in 1990, which had decreased to 25,243 hectares by 2020.

A number of research papers on urban sprawl in Islamabad have also revealed significant expansion of the city’s built-up areas, resulting in the loss of natural habitats. These changes indicate a growing urban footprint and the effects of this continuous expansion on the ecosystem.

The transformation of Islamabad’s land use land cover between 1990 and 2020. — Data Source: Mapped and processed using Landsat Satellite imagery by Richard Garstang Conservation GIS Lab, WWF-Pakistan.

Impact of uncontrolled urbanisation on climate​

One of the many consequences of uncontrolled urbanisation is an increase in temperature in urban areas relative to surrounding vegetated areas. Man-made structures absorb heat and then radiate it into the air at night, raising the local temperature — a phenomenon known as urban heat island effect.

According to historical data, the average temperature in Islamabad has increased by 3°C between 1961 and 1990. UN-Habitat predicts that Islamabad’s future climate estimates are far more concerning, with temperatures increasing by 0.7°C until 2039 and 2.2°C until 2069. Additionally, sprawling cities can have several environmental consequences, such as increasing traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution.

In 2016, Pakistan’s air quality ranked fifth worst in the world, primarily due to industrial and vehicular emissions as well as crop burning. If the current levels of air pollution were to continue, it would shorten the average Pakistani’s lifespan by 2.7 years.

Rapid urbanisation can have long-term consequences on extreme weather events, influencing both temperature and precipitation patterns. Islamabad is vulnerable to these weather extremes, both in terms of temperature and rainfall. According to the ‘Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment’ on Islamabad, the city received 620 mm of rain in under 10 hours, the highest volume rainfall in 24 hours recorded anywhere in Pakistan in the past century. Extreme temperatures have also been recorded, with the maximum being 46°C in June 2005.

Changes in urban land use, which frequently entail the replacement of natural surfaces with impermeable surfaces, can exacerbate urban floods. This happens when precipitation cannot be absorbed adequately into the ground, resulting in excessive surface runoff and overburdened drainage systems.

The urbanisation of Islamabad has also resulted in the growing challenge of urban flooding — a cloudburst in Islamabad triggered an urban flash flood in the E-11 sector and nearby area, resulting in the deaths of a mother and her child.

Population surge and the increasing water stress​

According to the Capital Development Authority, Islamabad’s population is projected to reach 4.443 million by 2050. This increase in population, coupled with urbanisation, rural-to-urban migration, and climate change, will also exert great stress on its water quality and availability.

The groundwater table in the Potohar region has been depleted by 116m in the last 30 years, and water availability per capita has dropped dramatically, from 5,300 m3 in 1951 to 850 m3 in 2013.

Islamabad relies on sources like the Simly, Khanpur, and Rawal dams, tube wells, and tiny water streams, but they are unable to satisfy the demand. The maximum combined water production from these sources is 84 million gallons per day (MGD), while Islamabad’s average water demand is 176 MGD — a shortfall of 106 MGD for most of the year.



Residents mitigate this water shortage by drawing from dug wells. The United Nations predicts that water consumption in cities around the world will double between 2007 and 2050, intensifying resource strain and decreasing freshwater supplies. According to a research paper published in 2020, Islamabad has a severe yearly groundwater depletion rate of 1.7 metres due to urbanisation and population increase.

In 2018, Pakistan developed the National Water Policy, with the aim of prioritising water conservation and the enhancement of groundwater recharge through various approaches. One of them is rainwater harvesting, which can effectively manage urban flooding and groundwater depletion. In Islamabad, with an annual rainfall of approximately 1,300 mm, harvesting just 50pc of this potential could balance the current water supply of 142 MCM provided by the Capital Development Authority.

Moreover, WWF-Pakistan is implementing the “Australia-Pakistan Water Security Initiative” to promote the Water Sensitive Cities (WSCs) Vision for Pakistan in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. WSCs employ a nature-based approach to holistically manage the integrated water cycle, enhancing city liveability, resilience, sustainability, and productivity.

What we need for a resilient and sustainable future​

Pakistan currently struggles with severe economic, food security, and climate change related challenges. At the same time, the country’s fertile agricultural land is being transformed into buildings and housing societies, resulting in rapid urbanisation, arguably the greatest obstacle to coping with climate change and economic growth.

On the other hand, Pakistan has started initiatives to convert the degraded areas and deserts into arable land to address food security challenges, which requires significant resources and time. Therefore, it’s crucial to prioritise a national climate resilience agenda with priority for sustainable agricultural practices, fostering resilient urban development, promoting initiatives for clean energy, enhancing human capital, and strategically aligning financing mechanisms to mitigate climate change and food security challenges in Pakistan.

The rapid urbanisation of cities is extremely concerning since it is associated with increasing population pressure, environmental deterioration, and the effects of climate change. A multifaceted strategy incorporating urban development, environmental sustainability, and climate adaptation techniques is the need of the hour to counter the challenges of climate change resulting from rapid urbanisation.
Legislators and urban planners should impose stringent land use regulations to preserve green spaces and agricultural land while promoting the use of green infrastructure.

The use of modern technology, such as remote sensing and GIS, is critical for monitoring urban expansion trends and land use changes on a regular basis. These techniques are extremely useful for identifying places at high risk of urbanisation as well as measuring the impact of urbanisation on natural resources.

Muhammad Asif, GIS Coordinator at WWF-Pakistan, has over seven years of experience in remote sensing, GIS and surveying and holds an MPhil degree in Space Sciences.

The changing face of Islamabad — 30 years of urban expansion

In Islamabad, croplands, grasslands, and forests have been converted into urban structures, making it one of the fastest-expanding cities in the country.

www.dawn.com

 

[RescueRanger]

F9 Park - CDA is replacing paper mulberry trees which cause respiratory allergies and will be replacing them with 9 different indigenous trees. Target of plantation of indigenous trees will be completed by 31 -03-2024.

 

[RescueRanger]

@ghazi52 I have sticky posted your threads. Please keep updating them. Thank you for everything.

 

[ghazi52]

Amazon Mall, GT road near DHA-2 gate number 1. Islamabad..

 

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Electric fence around Diplomatic Enclave goes live​

The Newspaper's Staff Reporter
January 5, 2024

ISLAMABAD: The newly installed electric fence around the capital’s Diplomatic Enclave became live 24/7 as part of security for the foreign embassies, high commissions, and foreign missions here on Thursday.

Besides that, security cameras were also installed around the Diplomatic Enclave. Officials of the capital police said that the project of installing the electric fence at the walls around the enclave has been completed and made live to make the capital a safe city for foreign diplomats and representatives of the foreign mission, along with the embassies, high commissions, and foreign missions located inside the enclave.

The Pakistan Army and other law enforcement agencies also assisted the capital police in the completion of the project, they said, adding that the NLC completed the project with the support of the Capital Development Authority.

Through the project, the security of the Diplomatic Enclave was further enhanced, the officials said, adding that an entrance and exit control system has also been introduced at the entrance and exit points, and security cameras were also installed.

A control room connected to the Safe City Islamabad Authority was also set up at the headquarters of the Security Division, the officials said, adding that representatives of all law enforcement and security agencies were deputed to the control room to guard the enclave, housing foreign embassies, high commissions, and foreign missions, as well as diplomats and representatives of the foreign mission.

Besides, a modern alarm system was also installed there, they added.

Electric fence around Diplomatic Enclave goes live

Pakistan Army and other LEAs also assist the capital police in the completion of the project.

www.dawn.com

 

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160 high-end e-buses to boost green transportation in Pakistan​

By Wu Siya | Gwadar Pro
Jan 5, 2024

SUZHOU, On January 5, the delivery ceremony for 160 Suzhou Higer high-end pure electric buses exported to Pakistan was held in Suzhou Industrial Park, China. It is reported that the order value of the order exceeds RMB 150 million, which is the first time that Pakistan has introduced pure electric buses in large quantities.

The 160 high-end e-buses delivery ceremony [Photo/Higer]

Honored guests including Mr. Rana, Director General of the Capital Development Bureau of Pakistan, Mr. Amer, General Manager of NTRC Commercial Projects, Mr. Amir, Chairman of Pakistan UAE Company, Huang Shuping, General Manager of Suzhou Higer, Qiu Yuanhong, Deputy General Manager, Xie Jianghong, Customer Service Director, Jiang Haifeng, General Manager of Overseas Sales attended the ceremony.

Group photo of guests [Photo/Higer]

Mr. Rana and Mr. Amer delivered speeches respectively, expressing high recognition for this batch of buses. The day before the ceremony, Pakistani side tested these buses, which performed perfectly in appearance, performance and all other aspects. Currently, Higer’s new energy buses have occupied the largest market share in Pakistan to contribute to Pakistan's green and low-carbon travel.

Entered the Pakistani market in 2006, in response to the local dusty and congested road traffic characteristics, Higer has continued to carry out technological innovation and customized high-quality buses for Pakistan that can calmly cope with the local climate environment and complex road conditions.

The batch of pure electric buses exported this time have the advantages of zero emissions, low operating costs, and low noise pollution, which will greatly improve the efficiency of public transportation operations and the quality of residents’ travel.

In addition, the cruising range of the buses exceeds 250 kilometers and the entire vehicle uses the most advanced cathodic electrophoresis technology, through which own an anti-corrosion period of more than ten years. In terms of software intelligence, 160 pure electric buses are equipped with the intelligent operation system T-BOX, which can monitor driver behavior and vehicle operation data in real time to ensure operational safety and protect passenger travel.

As an important part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Belt and Road Initiative, the transportation field will continue to usher in more efficient and green reforms in the future. The arrival of 160 e-buses to Pakistan, as a new starting point, promoting the high-quality development of CPEC and BRI in the field of public transportation.

 

[ghazi52]

Islamabad Metro Bus Service.

Islamabad Bus Service (IBS) Feeder Route plan under Capital Mass Transit AUTHORITY (CMTA). 1st batch of 30 Electric Buses set to operate on 14 Feeder routes across the Capital City. These routes are intricately connected with the Red Line, Orange Line, Blue Line, and Green Line Buses, providing an extensive and efficient public transportation network.

The feeder routes cover key locations such as Police Foundation Station, Allama Iqbal University, PIMS, D-12, Abpara, Nilore, Pirwadhi Chowk, NHA Station, and NDU E-9, enhancing connectivity and accessibility within Islamabad.

 

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Under Construction J7 Emporium Mall and Apartments at Sector B-17 Islamabad
© J7 Emporium

 

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Under construction Meezan Tower at Jinnah Avenue Islamabad opposite Centaurus Mall.

© Principal

 

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PM greenlights cycling track project​

Civic agency to lay 374-kilometre track in Islamabad in 18 months

Iftikhar Chaudhry
March 19, 2024

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has greenlit a plan to construct a network of cycling tracks in the federal capital for Rs2.4 billion.

The 374-km-long cycling tracks would be laid in 18 months as per the initial plan.

Dubbed as a transformative initiative by the Capital Development Authority, the project is anticipated to promote a healthy lifestyle and combat environmental pollution.

According to sources, a comprehensive plan has been set in motion to construct cycling tracks across various sectors of the city. This ambitious project will be known as the Bicycle Lane Project (BLP).

The inauguration ceremony of the BLP is poised to be held in the next couple of weeks and Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will attend the event as the chief guest.

The primary aim of this endeavour is to encourage healthy activities among citizens while addressing environmental concerns. Upon its completion, all petrol-fuelled bikes will be phased out in Islamabad, marking a paradigm shift towards sustainable transportation.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has emphasised the importance of creating a healthy environment for residents. To achieve this goal, bicycle lanes will be integrated into the city's infrastructure, particularly along highways and key areas like Khayaban Iqbal, Sector G-6, G-7, G-8, Green Double Lane, Jinnah Avenue, and Red Double Line. These cycling tracks will not only promote eco-friendly commuting but also facilitate metro bus passengers, offering them an alternative mode of travel.

Furthermore, the BLP includes plans for constructing 150 parking stands to accommodate e-bikes, allowing citizens to access affordable bike rental services. This initiative aligns with the phased elimination of petrol-powered bikes, contributing to a cleaner and healthier urban environment. The project encompasses essential features such as lighting and security arrangements to ensure a safe cycling experience for all users.

The CDA management has reaffirmed to prioritise environmental sustainability and public health in Islamabad. A senior CDA officer highlighted the project's swift implementation, overseen by expert teams from technical, engineering, and planning backgrounds. The project's multifaceted objectives aim to promote healthy lifestyles, provide cost-effective travel options amidst economic challenges, and significantly reduce environmental pollution.

One of the key strategies involves integrating cycling tracks with metro bus routes, offering commuters a seamless transition between modes of transportation. This innovative approach not only promotes cycling but also reduces reliance on petrol-based vehicles, contributing to a greener cityscape.

Additionally, plans are underway to gradually phase out motorcycles in designated sectors, further enhancing environmental quality and promoting sustainable urban development.

The BLP stands as a pioneering initiative, signalling a shift towards eco-friendly mobility and a renewed focus on public health and environmental stewardship in Islamabad. With careful planning, strategic implementation, and community engagement, this project is poised to set a benchmark for sustainable urban infrastructure in Pakistan.

 

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SIFC gives go-ahead for establishing largest IT Park in Islamabad​

BR Web Desk March 25, 2024

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has given the green-light to establish Pakistan’s largest IT Park in the G-10 sector of the federal capital, covering an expansive area of 3.3 acres, state-run APP reported on Monday.

The development comes after the Capital Development Authority Board earlier this month decided to construct the IT park in Islamabad.

According to details, negotiations are already underway with key stakeholders such as Pakistan Software Export Board and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication to ensure the successful execution of the IT Park project.

The project, operating under a public-private partnership framework, is poised to become a nucleus of technological advancement, boasting a comprehensive array of facilities aimed at fostering creativity and entrepreneurship.

Among its features will be a state-of-the-art research center, a well-stocked library, software houses, conference rooms, dedicated work spaces for freelancers and startups and an exhibition area for showcasing cutting-edge IT products.

Approximately 6.000 freelancers are slated to benefit from access to top-notch facilities, empowering them to contribute significantly to Pakistan’s economic landscape through the provision of e-services.

The construction of this IT hub will be financed through collaboration with private IT companies, which will also lease office spaces within the premises.