THE metropolis city of Karachi is quite literally on fire. A city with a population of over 20 million, Karachi has long been grappling with a whole lot of challenges. The city of lights is now a city in distress. Despite being a significant contributor to the national economy and sometimes even being referred to as the “business hub” of Pakistan, Karachi’s unfortunate plight is evident. Evident in its crumbling infrastructure, water mismanagement, sanitation struggles, regulatory chaos, and an intricate web of governance complexities.
If you are lucky (not that it matters in this case) and you find yourself in the “posh” neighbourhood of what is the Defence Housing Authority, don’t be fooled… a million-dollar mansion will not guarantee you a straight bump-free road or running water. To put it simply, the basic amenities that are the lifeline of any living and growing urban centre have become elusive in Karachi… or in what is left of it.
Among this long list of what seems like endless issues is the issue of fatal fire incidents that occur recurrently in commercial, residential and industrial structures. The urgency of this issue was once again tragically understood at the cost of 10 innocent lives this time in a shopping centre on Karachi’s Rashid Minhas Road just two weeks ago. While the cause of this particular incident remains unclear, it is not the first one and will certainly not be the last such incident. Hence a focus on why every few months a building goes up (or rather down) in flames is imperative.
I write the following at the cost of sounding like a broken record, stating and restating what seems obvious to many like me but not so evident to those who manage the city. I write this rather oblivious piece in hopes it does not, as per tradition, fall on deaf ears (blind eyes in this case). Karachi is a fast-growing home to a vast network of factories and high-rise buildings, but the city’s firefighting infrastructure is inadequate to deal with its recurrent fires. Following the incident of 25th November, it has been reported that urban planners and engineers at a symposium said that about 90 percent of all structures in Karachi lack fire prevention and firefighting systems. These 90 percent of structures include residential, commercial and industrial structures alike.
While the population skyrockets in the city, which is an equally important conversation but one for another time, the city is also undergoing rapid expansion with a surge in concrete structures and high-rise buildings. It comes as no surprise that most, if not all construction activities in the city neglect crucial fire prevention measures and essential safety protocols amplifying the threat. Even when such systems are installed they are ineffective and are present for optics to merely fulfil legal formalities. When disaster eventually strikes, it is again no surprise that these systems act as a hindrance and eventually claim many thousand innocent lives each year.
The above-stated negligence has created what seems like a system of complacency, where property owners and policymakers prioritize profit over the safety of the occupants and the citizens… that must change or the blaze will one day consume the city and its people.
—The writer is Assistant Editor, daily Pakistan Observer, Islamabad.
Email: [email protected]
views expressed are writer’s own.
