EARLIER this month, a department store in Multan was gutted by fire. While a detailed probe will unveil the cause, images of the burnt-down structure show that various electrical appliances were perched haphazardly atop the building elevation. This is not an an atypical incident. Fires routinely impact hutments, commercial complexes, bazaars, small- and medium-scale industrial enterprises, etc in our cities.

Only yesterday, a fire broke out at a mal khana in Karachi’s City Courts, while last October, a plastics factory in SITE was burnt down. This February, a fire in a Faisalabad bazaar left two people dead. This needs a far-sighted approach to evolve a permanent solution for an issue that directly hurts human lives, especially the poor and working classes.

Disasters such as these occur for many reasons. Unsafe storage of flammable articles like textiles is one factor. Arson is another, and can only be ruled out through scientific inquiry. Various electrical and plumbing defects are seldom repaired. Many owners and managers, interested only in financial returns, make workers overlook faults such as leaks and worn-out conduits. Many premises do not even acquire power connections commensurate with actual load of consumption.

As our cities grow, we must be prepared to tackle fires.

Similarly, poor workstation layouts hamper safe evacuation. Few exits risk people being trapped or trampled on, while lack of ventilation can lead to suffocation.

Yesterday’s fire should serve as a final reminder to plan and implement workplace safety measures. The foremost task is to update data pertinent to production, retail and storage spaces.

The federal and provincial bureaus of statistics have conducted several surveys that can serve as a baseline. Municipal projects may be formulated to update and enhance this database. Building information parameters, especially related to human safety, must be included. While existing building by-laws and regulations may be revisited for initial scale application, most have safety provisions that need only be applied. The myth that this requires large investments is absolutely baseless. With intelligent planning and design (and some common sense) effective methods of combating fires and other hazards can be enacted with minimal expenditure.

On a national level, the Pakistan Engineering Council, National Disaster Management Authority and many experts proposed fire and life safety provisions for the Building Code of Pakistan that were approved last year. In Karachi, the Building and Town Planning Regulations, 2002 (amended from time to time) has many useful provisions. Among its relevant clauses are appropriate provisions of stand pipes, automatic sprinkler system, manual fire-extinguishing equipment, fire-alarm system, signal stations, dimensions of overhead water tanks, structural provisions for fire-resistant construction including doors, separating/fire walls, protected shafts, etc. But these await strict implementation.

A checklist evaluation of existing buildings can help identify those that require retrofitting to remove structural hazards. A few specialised teams can be mobilised to facilitate such a task on an emergency basis. However, cooperation from all the stakeholders is a prerequisite. Trade and commerce bodies, political parties, building control authorities, labour unions, technical universities and the media shall have to work together to approach this vital objective.

Complex urban regions such as Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad have many types of buildings, requiring safety and security audits through collaborative administrative agencies, professionals and even ordinary people.

Warehousing and basic manufacturing activities in old town quarters, squatments along railway lines, high-tension wires, highways, busy roads, man­­u­facturing units, godowns, petroleum installations, oil depots, power stations, nullah banks and garbage dumps are some sites where people live in a fairly organised albeit dangerous manner.

The Civil Defence De­­partment, which is virtually invisible, has many important roles to play such as training, conducting drills, maintaining and operating a basic warning system, and proper record-keeping of its outposts. It needs revitalisation. National bodies such as disaster management authorities must be asked to assist in its revamping and upscaling.

A few basic inventories also need to be prepared. A fire safety audit may be conducted in locations where fire complaints are recurrent. Identifying fire causes and combating capabilities, emergency route planning and water reservoirs, and mapping flammable materials’ storage could be some starting variables. Fire departments must be bolstered by being provided more and better equipment, training and hindrance-free access to hydrants. Education institutions must conduct fire safety awareness sessions and mock drills to ensure emergency evacuation.

The writer is a professor and dean, Faculty of Architecture and Management Sciences, NED University, Karachi.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2018