Karachi is facing a worsening shortage of burial places, prompting authorities to introduce a major expansion plan for new cemeteries.
Officials revealed that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation aims to establish four massive graveyards of 500 acres each on the city’s outskirts, alongside one new 25-acre graveyard within Karachi limits.
The Sindh government has agreed in principle to the proposal and is expected to grant full approval soon, following several meetings held to address growing concerns over insufficient burial spaces in the metropolis.
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The plan emerged after repeated warnings that most cemeteries in Karachi have nearly full space, creating fears that the city could run out of burial capacity entirely by the year 2040.
Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab reportedly pushed the proposal forward, securing the provincial government’s consent so KMC can begin acquiring land across multiple identified locations for future cemetery development.
Officials said the 25-acre graveyard inside the city is likely to be marked near Shahrah-e-Bhutto, providing relatively accessible space for families seeking burial plots within Karachi boundaries.
READ: From Grave cost to burial, challenges Karachiites face after demise of their loved one
A KMC official shared that Karachi has around 220 graveyards, out of which 192 are formally allotted, including 173 Muslim cemeteries and 19 designated for Christian and Hindu communities.
He added that forty-six cemeteries fall under KMC management, while several others are controlled by DHA, cantonment boards, government departments, community groups, social organisations, and private operators across the city.
The official noted growing concerns regarding the demolition of older graves to create space for new burials, leading KMC to impose bans in several major graveyards, though enforcement remains inconsistent.
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Burial grounds have also become vulnerable to criminal activity, with deteriorating security allowing drug traffickers and other offenders to take advantage of poorly monitored graveyard spaces across the city.
Another official said rising influence of local mafias in graveyards has resulted in encroachments, land grabbing and illegal “China-cutting,” adding further pressure on limited burial resources in Karachi.
He explained that burial costs vary drastically, with some graveyards charging families up to Rs150,000, despite official KMC fees being only Rs9,300 for standard grave and burial services.
