Staff Reporter
With rapid urbanization, it is estimated that by the year 2030, 45.6 percent of Pakistan’s population will be living in cities. However, safety codes for the construction of buildings are often ignored in Pakistan due to which incidents of building collapses are quite common. Pakistan’s fragile built environment has given rise to frequent media reports of collapsed buildings in major cities. Keeping in mind the current state of Pakistan’s construction sector and the quality of infrastructure, Iqbal Institute of Policy Studies (IIPS) hosted a live session that focused on pragmatically assessing the reasons for building collapses in Pakistan and recommending policy solutions to prevent such tendencies in future.
Various renowned experts and leading figures came forward to express their views on the matter, including Dr. Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi, Vice-Chancellor NED University of Engineering & Technology, Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed Sheikh, Additional Registrar-CPD (PEC), Dr. Shahid Mehmood, Member Planning and Design (CDA), Lt. Gen M. Haroon Aslam (Retd), President IIPS Advisory Board, Brig Khaliq ur Rashid Kiyani, CEO Architectural and Civil Engineering Services (ACES), Major Nawaz Minhas, CEO Kingcrete Builders, and Mr. Khurram Farid Bargatt, Member IIPS Advisory Board.
Experts stressed that that It is imperative to completely rethink our cities and urban spaces to encourage resilient, environment-friendly, and sustainable development practices.
While expressing his views on why buildings collapse in Pakistan, Lt. Gen M. Haroon Aslam (Retd), President IIPS Advisory Board, acting as moderator of webinar, highlighted that absence of regulatory compliance is one of the major causes of fragile built environment in Pakistan. He further stated that the construction industry is in a developing stage in Pakistan. There is an urgent need to eliminate bottlenecks such as corrupt practices in the industry, improve land regulation and building control, standardize and implement building laws across the board and impart latest skills to students for the future of the industry.
