KARACHI: Govt’s disaster management plan still in cold storage: KBCA role dubious
By Arman Sabir
KARACHI, Oct 7: None of the government functionaries is prepared to meet a natural calamity if it hits the 14 million population of Karachi as the authorities virtually have not learnt a lesson from the devastating earthquake that had hit the northern parts of the country exactly a year ago leaving thousands of people dead and injured, besides rendering millions others homeless.
Karachi, being the economic hub of the country, generates 68 per cent of the total revenues. It may suffer a huge loss of life and widespread damage, ultimately causing severe economic setback to the country, if a powerful earthquake or cyclone hits the metropolitan in the absence of an effective disaster management plan.
In case of any emergency, four important things – preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery – could be developed only after establishing efficient coordination between various government departments and heightening public awareness as to how to deal with an emergency situation.
The public response and behaviour is also the most important thing and people should be educated about how to respond to an emergency situation. However, creating awareness and educate people has never been given importance in our country.
Well-placed sources said that the disaster management plan has been in place on papers since January 2005, much before the Oct 8, 2005 earthquake as the exercise to devise such a plan was initiated soon after the December 2004 tsunami that had struck several Southeast Asian countries.
The plan was prepared keeping in view the worst case scenario in which all existing civic amenities, telecommunication and power supply are disturbed. The ultimate aim was to make Karachi a disaster-resistant city that could respond quickly in a united and planned way, no matter what sort of the disaster confronts the city, they added.
The sources said that the city’s disaster management plan was termed an important source document to be used by authorities concerned while responding to any disaster, which could be earthquakes, major fires, floods, accidents or civil unrest.
Different agencies and departments were given their roles in case of emergency. They included fire brigade, health, education, police, Civil Defence, Civil Aviation Authority, KPT, PQA, Cantonment Boards, Railways, etc., besides water, power, gas and telephone utility services, NGOs and major hospitals.
Despite all these efforts, the coordination among various agencies could not be developed to follow the plan and due to the absence of a single authority to control and command the city affairs, the disaster management plan was put on the back burner like other essential schemes planned in the interest of the city, the sources added.
They said that the plan was also discussed at the Governor’s House and a committee was formed following the devastating earthquake.
The committee was given the task of reviewing the possibility of earthquake in Karachi and subsequent relief and rehabilitation measures. The committee, comprising officials, but no technical and geological expert however, reviewed the possibility of earthquake and concluded that Karachi is not on the fault-line of the seismic zone. The committee did not review or recommend the measures in case of an emergency.
Later, the Fire Brigade and Rescue Department was given the task of maintaining coordination with the Karachi Building Control Authority to carry out a survey of buildings in the city and find out how many buildings did have necessary fire-extinguishing equipment.
The sources said that the survey remained confined to Saddar and Gulshan towns only because the KBCA officials backed out for reasons best known to them.
The survey results revealed that only two per cent of the buildings having four or more storeys and appeared equipped with the gadgets like fire alarm system, sprinkle system, hydrant, fire risers, extinguishers, etc. The survey was extended to find out how many building could withstand major jolts but the non-cooperation from KBCA officials rendered the survey incomplete.
The sources said that all the authorities concerned were asked to follow the disaster management plan during the recent rainfall as it was also a natural tragedy that led to an emergency situation. However, the plan could not be followed owing to the lack of coordination among different departments and agencies. This created a chaotic situation during the torrential rains across the province, particularly Karachi, and people had to suffer loss of life and property.
The sources said that the civil defence institution in advanced countries was abandoned in 1960s. As an alternative, these countries improved the fire and rescue service which always remains active in responding swiftly to any emergency.
The fire and rescue department in our country has never given the due importance despite the fact that fire-fighters are rushed from other cities when a particular city is faced with an emergency. In the Oct 8 quake also, fire-fighters from Karachi were rushed to Islamabad to help other agencies to rescue the people trapped under the rubble of a collapsed high-rise.
Although the disaster management plan is ready on papers, it may remain in the same position until another natural calamity hits Karachi or some other part of the province unless practical measures to activate and mobilise the agencies involved are taken.
The vested interests in each and every department and agency would keep creating hurdles in the implementation of the plan. Observers are of the view that the vested interests should be set aside in the larger interest of the city and the country to ensure implementation of the plan without any further delay, before it is too late.
