KARACHI: City Mayor Wasim Akhtar said on Friday that over Rs5 billion was needed to improve the fire-fighting facilities and for procurement of modern equipment for the fire brigade of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.

Speaking at a rehabilitation and improvement programme of the fire brigade here at the Mazar-i-Quaid, he said the department lacked even basic facilities.

He said over 230 fire stations were required to meet any emergency situation in the city but only 22 were operational.

The city has no resources to put out blazes in high-rise buildings

He said while many high-rise buildings — having 30 floors or so — were being constructed in different parts of the metropolis, the snorkels available with the city’s fire brigade could carry out rescue and fire-fighting work only up to eight floors of a high-rise building.

Citing an example of lack of equipment, he said if the fire engines were carrying out fire-fighting operation at one spot in the city and if, God forbid, another major fire broke out in another part of the metropolis it would be almost impossible for the firefighters to work at two or more places simultaneously.

Pointing out that the KMC had been systematically financially crippled over the years, he urged the chief minister and the prime minister to provide funds so that equipment could be purchased to modernise and update the fire brigade. He also requested Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa to take notice of the “worst condition of the fire brigade”.

He lamented that despite significance of Karachi in the national economy a negligible amount was being invested — that also without taking the local government representatives into confidence or getting their recommendations or input — by the federal or provincial governments to improve the city’s infrastructure.

He said some of the fire engines being used by the city’s fire brigade were over 35 years old. Water was leaking from the tanks of these vehicles which also had several technical faults, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Faisal Edhi, the chief of the Edhi Foundation, also urged the authorities to assist the civic agencies to upgrade the city’s fire department so that it could act efficiently and meet any emergency situation without any difficulties. Earlier, the mayor distributed uniforms, etc, among the firefighters.

Roadside Iftar

The mayor has appreciated the philanthropists who arranged Iftar for the poor, saying he specially admired those youth who played a key role in such activities throughout Ramazan.

Mr Akhtar attended a roadside Iftar near the DJ Science College organised by a non-governmental organisation, Rizq.

Speaking to reporters, he said students of A and O levels studying in prominent schools and colleges had organised the Iftar. “All this shows our future is bright and there is every reason to [have] hope.”

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2017