Landhi Town
Landhi Town () is a Karachi borough in eastern Karachi that was named after the locality of Landhi. Landhi Town was formed in 2001, and subdivided into 9 union councils. The town system was disbanded in 2011 but restored in 2022 and Korangi T ...
in
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
,
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
.
Rehri Goth, located southeast of Karachi, is one of Pakistan's oldest fishing settlements, now integrated into metropolitan Karachi. Positioned along the coastal belt between the eastern outskirts of Korangi Creek and west of Port Muhammad Bin Qasim, Rehri Goth enjoys direct access to the mangrove islands of the
Indus River Delta
The Indus River Delta forms where the Indus River flows into the Arabian Sea, mostly in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan with a small portion in the Kutch Region of India. The delta covers an area of about , and is approximately across ...
. The settlement boasts an approximate population of 70,000. Officially, the land upon which the settlement resides is owned by the Karachi Port Trust.
Rehri Goth is regarded as one of the impoverished neighbourhoods in Karachi.
History, Demography and Social Aspects
Rehri Goth, dating back to the 13th century, is inhabited solely by fishermen who adhere to a traditional system of local governance and dispute resolution. Its residents, predominantly Sindhi speakers, comprise both long-standing inhabitants and recent migrants from villages surrounding the Indus delta, compelled to relocate due to droughts or sea intrusion caused by upstream dam construction and irrigation systems.
Unemployment
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...
is rampant due to declining fish catches attributed to coastal water pollution and commercial fishing. Residents blame local and foreign trawlers for devastating subsistence fishing. Pollution sources include raw sewage disposal, waste from a nearby buffalo colony, and untreated wastewater from the Korangi Industrial Estate.
Over the years, fishing in the area has transformed significantly. Initially, indigenous communities prioritised marine conservation due to their close ties to the sea. However, after 1968, with support from an
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...
-backed program, bank
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
s facilitated a shift from
subsistence
A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing and shelter) rather than to the market.
Definition
"Subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself and family at a minimum level. Basic subsiste ...
to
commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...
. This transition led to unsustainable practices, such as using small dragnets and disregarding off-season fishing periods. Additionally, the lack of clear sea boundaries between
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and Pakistan has resulted in fishermen inadvertently crossing into Indian waters, leading to arrests and imprisonment by Indian coastguards, causing distress among affected households.
Despite the local government's provision of
water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...
infrastructure, it inadequately meets residents' needs, prompting reliance on
informal
Formal, formality, informal or informality imply the complying with, or not complying with, some set of requirements ( forms, in Ancient Greek). They may refer to:
Dress code and events
* Formal wear, attire for formal events
* Semi-formal att ...
water vendors. Poor infrastructure, insufficient educational and medical provisions, and lack of economic incentives have left the majority of the inhabitants in precarious conditions. As an ancient Sindhi settlement, Rehri Goth has historically been supported by Sindhi-speaking politicians and bureaucrats. Its leadership comprises individuals who serve as intermediaries between these officials and the local community, with many also involved in commercial fishing enterprises.
Environmental challenges
The settlement was once encircled by mangrove forests, but their extent has drastically diminished due to livestock grazing, illegal
logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksNeighbourhoods of Karachi
Port cities and towns in Pakistan