A greening project for Larkana, developed by Larkode
Larkana loses shade every summer as old trees come down. This map shows the city's tree canopy and heat from satellite data, and which parts are hottest and shortest of shade.
Pilot, work in progress. This map works at neighbourhood scale. Its finest layer is shown at about 5.7 m per pixel and the heat layer at 30 m, so it can show which parts of Larkana are hot and short of shade. It cannot tell a tree from a house at street level, so it does not mark individual trees or exact planting spots. Treat every highlighted area as a candidate to walk, not a decision. Questions and corrections: [email protected]
Plant the right tree Guidance
Native, heat-tolerant shade trees suited to Larkana's climate and soils. Give large species room away from pavements, drains and walls.
Planting in a congested city
- Concentrate new trees on open ground: vacant plots, park and graveyard edges, school, college and hospital grounds, canal and road embankments, playgrounds.
- On a paved lane, make a tree pit - lift one paver block (about 1 x 1 m), plant, and add a guard. Keep the rest of the paving.
- For narrow streets, pick smaller or upright species (amaltas, ber, or neem kept pruned) so they clear the lane.
- Where there is no ground at all, use large containers on rooftops, courtyards and shopfronts, and green the walls.
- Line plantings into shade corridors along walking routes, bus stops and markets.
Planting and care, in brief
When
Young trees settle best when planted ahead of the monsoon rains or in the cooler months, not in the peak of summer heat.
Water
Even drought-hardy species need regular watering for their first few summers, until the roots reach deeper moisture.
Protect
A tree guard keeps out goats and traffic, and a ring of mulch keeps the soil cooler and damper.
Keep clear
Plant large species well away from walls, drains and pipes, and keep branches clear of power lines.
General guidance, not a site plan. Local nurseries and the forest department can advise on species and timing for a specific plot.
Why not Conocarpus?
- Very high water uptake that can pull down an already stressed water table.
- Aggressive roots that break into pavements, drains and sewer lines.
- Pollen linked to respiratory allergy in a Karachi University study.
- Non-native, with little food or habitat value for local birds and insects.
- Thin shade for the amount of water it uses.
Sindh restricted new Conocarpus planting in 2016, and Karachi authorities have been replacing it with indigenous species. Sources: Dawn, Dawn (experts), EnvPK. Existing trees need not be removed rashly; new planting is better spent on natives.
How to read this map
Measured - canopy, land cover and heat come from satellites. They show where tall vegetation is, at neighbourhood scale, not individual trees, species or age.
Guidance - "where shade is needed most" is derived from that data, and the species list is a curated recommendation. Both are advice, not a site survey. Highlighted areas are candidates for a site visit, never a verdict on any plot.
Community - resident-logged trees with photos and species are planned for a later phase, and are not shown yet.
Air quality - Larkana has no public ground sensor, so there is no honest street-level AQI to show. A modeled city reading, coarse satellite NO₂ , and low-cost community sensors are planned for the next phase. Trees are part of the fix.