KARACHI: City lacks resources to deal with disasters
By S. Raza Hassan
KARACHI, Oct 14: Preparedness to meet any calamity can be judged from the fact that Pakistan’s only Mobile Rescue Unit which has become obsolete belongs to the Fire Department of the City District Government Karachi.
According to the minimum requirements, a mobile rescue unit should be available at three fire stations. The October 8 quake demonstrated that even in Islamabad, civic agencies didn’t have cutters and drills that are required to pull out people from under the rubble.
A mobile rescue unit comprises hydraulic cutters, spreaders and trapped persons locaters (TPL), jumping cushions, air bags, generator and lighting towers.
The city of over 15 million population has only two TPLs, a device which detects life beneath the rubble, but both of them have been dispatched to Islamabad along with an 11-member team of the city’s fire department to take part in the rescue efforts.
One of the two TPLs had been purchased two years back while the other dates back to late 90s.
The city fire service has 20 fire-tenders in running condition which have also been included in the rescue equipment of the rescue units. Thirty other fire-tenders are lying in workshops with little prospects of being inducted again in the fleet.
During the present fiscal year, the annual budget allocation for the fire department has been raised to Rs250 million from Rs150 million of the last year. The city’s only snorkel retired a few months back after an untiring service of 17 years.
Tender for a new snorkel has been approved under Annual Development Programme (ADP). The snorkel is still awaited after a lapse of two years as funds for the badly needed equipment have not been released.
At present, the only snorkel which is functional belongs to the KPT.
As far as the disaster management is concerned, even Bangladesh has a separate ministry for disaster management, but in Pakistan it is an ad hoc matter which has never been taken seriously by the government.
Moreover, disaster management is a technical field but non-technical hands do the decision-making at the top level which often results in chaos.
The City Chief Fire Officer (CCFO), Kazim Ali, is of the opinion that disaster management should be offered as a course at the university level in the country. As evident in the aftermath of the October 8 quake, many obstacles like blocked roads, broken electric and phone lines, etc., may give resistance to civic agencies to react appropriately.
He says that every household should have an axe, a shawl, a rod (for used as lever), a fire extinguisher, a whistle and a first aid box to deal with emergencies.
He is of the view that in each (now defunct) district of Karachi, one fire station may be declared as disaster centre and should be equipped with heavy machinery, including cranes (2), bulldozers (4), dumper/loaders (8), gas cutters (20), electric cutters (40), and ambulances (10).
The CCFO, being head of the rescue service, may take any help from any other department and all operation may be completed under his command.
Following the recent tsunami that had struck many Asian countries, a disaster control plan was evolved by the CDGK and it was approved by DCO Fazlur Rehman.
The plan was supposed to be implemented through the Fire Department as the CCFP is also the head of the rescue service of the City government.
According to the plan, all departments will be bound to extend full cooperation, support and coordination in the shape of men, material and machinery. This will enable the CCFO to deal with any emergencies/disaster and plan his activities keeping in view the available resources.
The plan provides for a disaster coordinating agency comprising Revenue, Health, Medical, Services and Works of the CDGK; Parks, KDA, KWSB, SSGC, KESC, PTCL, Karachi Police, Traffic Police, Civil Defence, CAA, Port Qasim Authority, KPT, Oil Installation, Cantonment Board, Pakistan Railways; Edhi Welfare Trust and other NGOs having ambulances; major hospitals and Pakistan Steel.
