Re: Malir River - Karachi's natural heritage
KARACHI: 4,432-acre park along Malir River proposed
By Hasan Mansoor
KARACHI, June 10: The city district government, Karachi, has planned to establish an expansive park along the 17.5 kilometre length of the Malir River. The main objective of this ambitious project is to provide recreation facilities and job opportunities to the people of the city. The proposed name of the park is ‘River Valley Park.’
“The parks in the city are not sufficient for the dense population of Karachi and to meet this dearth we have selected a place for this purpose. This park will not only minimise this deficiency to a great extent but will also provide recreation spots to benefit millions of people,” said a city government official.
The area of the proposed park is 2,154,145.63 square yards (4,432.67 acres). The area of the park will be spread from the Hino Chowk on Korangi Road to the Quaidabad Bridge. Being located in the middle of the city, the park would provide recreational and sports facilities to the population of about 8 million people of the nine towns in its proximity.
Sources said the city government’s parks and horticulture department has prepared a design of the park after a detailed survey of the location, with claims that it would be the “biggest park in the world.”
In the survey report, various facilities and recreational attractions have been chalked out for the consideration of the authorities concerned, who will decide on the project’s fate this week.
The River Valley Park will have a water flow channel of 150 feet with 50-foot wide roads on either side. Besides, it will have 24 parking zones, 12 bridges and service areas at 24 points.
Various themed gardens have been planned for the park, which include a palm garden, jasmine garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, bougainvillea garden and Mughal garden. Besides, four city forests and some 500,000 trees will also be planted.
Experts have suggested the establishment of an athletic ground to enhance sports activities in the city, which will include facilities for basketball, tennis, volleyball and badminton. There are also suggestions for a golf course, horse riding area, skating arena, kids’ car area and polo ground.
In addition to this, some 15 cricket grounds with international level facilities are suggested to be part of the huge park to cater to the needs of the city youth. According to the designers, these facilities would help host major national and international cricket events.
Plans are afoot to restore the past glory of field hockey in the country, for which at least 10 prospective hockey fields have been suggested. The designers have plans for the establishment of 10 football grounds in the park given the fact that it is a popular sport in the country, despite little patronage from the authorities.
For the amusement of visitors, kite and pigeon-racing competitions would be organised on a regular basis at a specific portion of the park. The designers have also included modern facilities for motorcycle races and motor sports to give a space to the enthusiasts of these pursuits. A total of 128 powerful floodlight towers will be installed to keep the location illuminated during the night.
A runway for flying remote controlled airplanes and helicopters has also been proposed. Five open-air theatres are included in the draft design to promote the neglected art of theatre. Besides, 12 family and eight kids’ play areas will also be established.
The designers have also proposed an elevated monorail system to provide visitors transit across the sprawling expanse of the park.
