Pakistan’s first botanical garden, built more than a decade ago at one of the country’s top plant study and preservation institutions, is now in ruins due to neglect and a lack of funding.
In 2005, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) approved the construction of a botanical garden at the University of Karachi for Rs. 30 million.
The project was launched two years later, in September 2007, with the first two years devoted to the conservation of alpine plants, medicinal plants, and halophytes, as well as a separate portion for planting fruit-bearing trees. The garden is beginning to resemble a wild tree forest.
When questioned about the garden’s sorry state, the in-charge, Dr. Bano Roohi, admitted that she had only recently assumed her position but was aware of the problems.
She claims to have previously submitted to the government a lengthy letter outlining the botanical garden’s problems.
While it is unclear whether Dr. Roohi’s concerns will be addressed, the garden’s plant conservation section is in disarray.
The temperature-controlled conservation area was used to house plants flown in from remote areas of the country, but the air conditioning and generators installed for it have become dysfunctional, and the electrical supply has been cut off due to a lack of maintenance.
As a result, the plants have vanished, and the only trace of what once existed is a rusted cast iron framework.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor (VC), Professor Dr. Khalid Iraqi, believes that there should be a separate grant for ongoing research that is not part of PC-1 projects like the garden.
Because there is no such separate funding, the institution bears the burden of maintaining the program, and running such projects is extremely difficult for them given their current financial situation.
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