The Orchards’ Chicoos Are Relished Everywhere
Away from the hodgepodge urban landscape, these orchards of Malir’s Murad Memon Goth area are a welcome sight. A dense coverage of towering date trees right at the entrance provides a much-needed respite from the chaos of city life.
However, the reduction of groundwater reservoirs and lack of attention have devastated the fields to an extent that where the trees were previously spread over approximately 250 acres of land, now only span across seven to eight acres. In the past, there was never any fencing or a ban on picking fruits from Malir’s orchards but now it is hard to pick fruits from orchards. When the number of orchards decreased, gates had to be installed to protect them. Malir is the only area in Karachi that still offers a beautiful blend of rural and urban life. The fruits and vegetables are still cultivated here, however, lamented that the shortage of fresh water has harmed their growth potential.
THE ORCHARDS’ CUSTARD APPLES ARE “INCOMPARABLE” IN TASTE
The local residents call guavas, one of the orchards’ leading produce Zaitoon. “There was a time when the sweetness of Malir’s guavas was relished far and wide,” besides guavas, the orchards of Malir also grow custard apples, papaya, and sapodilla (commonly known as chicoos), of incomparable taste. The sand and gravel have been stolen from the Malir River and that has caused the depletion of groundwater reserves, another reason for the fast depleting number of fields need to more attention from landlords as well as from Government authorities with the local farmers. “Even then, the gates of these orchards were never close to the people looking to have visits to these orchards.
