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City planners, engineers, and architects expressed their apprehensions regarding the efficacy of regulatory agencies such as the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) during a conference held on Tuesday.
They questioned the authority’s inability to enforce building regulations, particularly in light of the approval of illegal multi-storey residential, commercial, and industrial constructions that lack fire safety measures.
The participants noted that the issue of fire safety has reached critical levels, with incidents in Karachi alone surpassing 3,000 this year.
Furthermore, they pointed out that approximately 70 percent of the city’s residential, commercial, and industrial structures do not possess adequate fire safety systems. This neglect of building codes during construction has led to considerable loss of life and property during fire emergencies.
At the “Second National Fire Safety Conference and Risk-Based Award Ceremony,” organized by the Fire Protection Association (FPA) at a local venue, both local and internationally recognized experts urged for prompt and effective actions from both governmental and business sectors to address the dire situation that endangers millions of lives in the city.
FPA President Kunwar Waseem stated, “In the past two years, Karachi has witnessed nearly 5,000 fire incidents. In 2023 alone, there have been 2,228 fire incidents, and by November, over 2,900 fires have already been reported.
The disregard for fire safety regulations has resulted in significant casualties and financial losses. We must act swiftly before it is too late, and when I say ‘we,’ I refer to the collective responsibility of both the government and the business community.”
To illustrate this point, Mr. Kunwar referenced official statistics from the city’s fire department, which indicated that 2,228 distress calls were received in 2023 across 29 fire stations, prompting officials to dispatch fire tenders to the respective locations.
