Urban Disorder and Regulatory Failure: The Proliferation of Illegal Housing Societies in Karachi (Pakistan)

The unapproved land purchases, poor infrastructure, and disobedience to the law have been an important problem in the urban areas of Pakistan in the form of the so-called Illegal housing societies. These societies usually take advantage of poor implementation of land-use regulations and consequently incur losses in terms of money spent by buyers, fraud in real estate dealings, and damage to the environment. Besides flouting zoning laws, developers also do not offer some of the basic amenities such as potable water, sewage systems, and ownership verification. The lack of a control mechanism by regulatory agents, such as the concerned development authority, makes the situation worse since the residents are exposed to eviction and legal problems. Also, the illegal colonies cause urban sprawl, which increases the burden on already overstretched municipal services. The government should intervene in this issue to make unapproved developments regular and provide alternatives to affordable housing by being stricter on land regulations and carrying out campaigns on the issue. Illegal housing societies will keep threatening sustainable urban planning in Pakistan unless major reforms are established.