KARACHI: Business leaders on Friday demanded robust regulations, strict implementation, and unbending legal action to avoid industrial and commercial fires in the future.
They called for strengthening building codes approved by the Pakistan Engineering Council to ensure safety of life and property, urging the Sindh Building Control Authority to fulfill its due responsibility.
In most industrial units, mandatory open area supposed to be left with the structure of a factory was covered/constructed, causing a big hurdle in firefighting as it denied access to fire tenders.
This gross violation was not possible without the support of officials of the concerned government agencies/departments of Sindh government.
Two fire tenders were given to each industrial estate of the city out of fifty given by the federal government on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
But, they regretted, the fire tenders at these seven town industrial estates were of no use for want of trained drivers and other firefighting staff to be provided by Sindh government.
They demanded for an efficiently managed chain of hydrants in the city especially in the industrial estates and at commercial centers so that fires could easily and quickly be doused.
In the most reported cases, it took long hours to overcome blazes for non-availability of water to fire tenders at reasonable distance, and those were seen running here and there in search of it.
In the olden days, there were many hydrants along the main roads and different spots of the city, which helped fighting fires very much.
With the spread of residential, commercial and industrial areas of the city, hydrants network required expansion but instead it has almost disappeared.
Rather the number of illegal hydrants was on the rise and were run by mafias earning big amounts in connivance with the concerned government agencies, they alleged.
They pointed out that the Sindh Industries Department had not been fulfilling its due responsibility to support industries in the province, especially in Karachi, where a huge number of industries were located.
Industrial management companies under this department like SITE Limited had failed even to arrange the required number of fire tenders to ensure safety of industries in seven industrial zones of the city.
Absence of proper roads and dilapidated existing ones, and destroyed sewerage system in industrial zones also creates problems in firefighting operations.
The main business leaders interviewed by APP included President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Mian Nasser Hayatt Maggo, former vice president FPCCI and In-charge of WTO Cell at FPCCI''s Headquarters , Engr MA Jabbar, President , Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shariq Ahmed Vohra, Patron-in-Chief of SITE Association of Industry, former president KCCI and former chairman Sindh Investment Board, Muhammad Zubair Motiwala, Chairman Pakistan Apparel Forum and former president SAI, Muhammed Jawed Bilwani and President, Korangi Association of Trade and Industry, Saleem-uz-Zaman.
President, FPCCI, Mian Nasser Hayatt Maggo demanded the government should constitute a high-powered body comprising representatives of FPCCI, PEC, Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority, SBCA and industrial estates to revise and issue new national codes for construction of buildings for industrial operations by categorising high, medium and low risk industrial activities.
He said after a long exercise under the supervision of experts, the government of Pakistan had notified Building Code of Pakistan Fire Safety Provisions 2016.
It contained useful knowledge that could be readily employed by provincial governments and local agencies.
Maggo said the most building regulations enforced in our cities laid down a basic framework for fighting fires in the building design.
The documents also focused on the provision of standpipes, automatic sprinkler systems, manual fire-extinguishing equipment, fire alarms, signal stations, overhead water tanks, protected shafts, fire-resistant doors, etc.
Full enforcement was needed.
He said there were different categories of industries; some likely to have more chances of eruption of fires due to electric short-circuit.
There must be stringent building codes, which must be strictly implemented, he added. Maggo said factories should be periodically inspected to check any change made in drawings of the buildings approved by the respective government agencies including SBCA and industrials zones management companies like SITE Limited.
The change/alteration might lead to breach of safety provisions including emergency exits, he added.
FPCCI’s former vice president and in-charge WTO Cell at FPCCI, Engr MA Jabbar said it had been noted that many factories were operating in non-industrial areas, which must not be allowed.
The District Administration and the police should be assigned to check such illegal operations.
It was also noted that in most of the fire cases short circuit was the major cause, for which Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority should play its role in checking licenses of manufacturers of protective electrical equipment, he said.
He advised input-based electrical equipment be used in industries to reduce fire incidents originating from low quality electrical equipment and protective equipment.
Jabbar said a checklist-based evaluation of existing building stock could help identify inappropriately constructed buildings for the purpose of retrofitting.
Specialized teams could be mobilised to design and facilitate these tasks, he said adding that the cooperation of all stakeholders was necessary in this regard.
Trade and industrial bodies, political parties, building control authorities, labour unions, technical universities and the media would have to work together, he emphasised.
He said complex urban areas such as Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi had many types of buildings that required safety and security audits through the collaboration of state agencies, professionals, and even ordinary people.
President, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shariq Ahmed Vohra said the cases of fire had become very common in the commercial and industrial areas of the city.
Although the causes of such high frequency of damaging infernos were diverse, yet it was believed the foremost was blatant negligence on part of the governments, municipal authorities, business owners, naive staff and the workers, and even the general public.
Most of the fire incidents occurred due to mishandling of products and appliances, which was amplified by the fact that the authorities had not fulfilled their responsibility of ensuring the availability of fire safety features in commercial and industrial areas, he said.
However, Vohra added that there appeared to be no effective system of monitoring and implementing these laws.
As a result, these regulations were seen as mere guidelines due to which many industrial and commercial units were not fully capable or well-equipped to douse fires within their premises, he added.
In most cases, he went on to say that there were not even any fire exits in the buildings, while the staff was not trained in ensuring suspension of electricity or other safety protocols to prevent the spread of fire.
This lack of training and inexperience usually led to panic, which aggravated the situation, Vohra said adding that once the local civic agencies did arrive, they were either poorly equipped, or themselves lacked the training to put out the fire efficiently.
Unfortunately, industrial concerns tend to avoid investment in fire and safety equipment and procedures, he added.
