KARACHI: The city of Karachi remains the most vulnerable division in Sindh in terms of fire safety measures in buildings, with 162 buildings still non-compliant.
Data from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Fire Safety Audits Portal (FSAP) reveals an alarming situation in Karachi.
The city has 907 identified buildings, of which only 292 have been revisited in the second phase of the fire safety audit across the city. As many as 615 buildings are still awaiting re-inspection.
The district-wise breakdown shows South District with 57 non-compliant and 104 partially compliant buildings. Central follows with 45 non-compliant, 69 partially compliant, and 71 substantially compliant buildings. East has 15 non-compliant, Korangi 23, Malir seven and Keamari four. There are 11 non compliant and 34 partially compliant buildings in district West. Korangi is the only district showing significant improvement, with 140 buildings substantially compliant.
Commissioner Naqvi orders authorities to expedite completion of safety audit
The situation is further aggravated by the deterioration of some buildings. In Karachi division, four buildings slipped from medium to high-risk and one from low to high-risk during the second phase, while only 14 improved from high to medium and 22 from high to low.
2,216 still not revisited; 486 high-risk
Across the province, the scale of non-compliance is alarming. A total of 3,486 buildings have been identified, including 142 added in the second phase. Only 1,270 have been revisited, while 2,216 — over 63 per cent — are yet to be revisited.
Of the 1,270 revisited, 61 are non-compliant, 457 partially compliant and 752 substantially compliant.
Overall risk assessment of all 3,486 buildings shows that 486 buildings (13pc) are high-risk, 1,199 (34pc) medium-risk and 1,829 (52pc) low-risk. This means 47pc of all buildings audited remain in the medium- or high-risk category.
In the second-phase assessment alone, 231 buildings (18pc) are high-risk, 463 (36pc) medium-risk and 576 (45pc) low-risk.
Division-wise, Hyderabad has the highest number of identified buildings at 1,295, with 943 still pending, followed by Karachi. Hyderabad has 691 partially compliant buildings overall, the highest number of partially compliant buildings in the province.
The portal’s ‘Risk Level Changes’ data shows some progress — 225 buildings improved: 124 from high to medium, 35 from high to low and 66 from medium to low. However, 970 showed no change and 21 deteriorated, including 14 from medium to high and 7 from low to high.
Officials said the second-phase drive is ongoing to verify the implementation of fire safety recommendations, but with 2,216 buildings still pending re-inspection, the audit remains far from complete.
Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi chaired a meeting at his office on Wednesday (Oct 7) and ordered the swift completion of the fire safety audit.
He directed deputy commissioners (DCs) and relevant departments to complete the ongoing fire safety audit survey at the earliest through coordinated efforts.
According to an official statement, the meeting was attended, among others, by DCs, officials of the PDMA, Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), fire brigade and other departments concerned. It reviewed arrangements for enforcement of fire safety laws in commercial buildings.
The meeting reviewed the district-wise performance of the fire safety audit survey being carried out under the supervision of the district administration and deliberated upon various measures to ensure that buildings lacking fire prevention and safety arrangements comply with the requirements.
The commissioner directed that notices be issued to buildings where safety arrangements were missing and that they be required to fully comply with safety requirements.
He said that approved maps of buildings would be uploaded on the portal and directed SBCA to take priority measures in this regard so that fire brigade institutions get assistance in performing their duties in case of any emergency.
It was also decided in the meeting to conduct a safety audit of hospitals, industries and schools, with the commissioner stressing that the audit of hospitals be carried out on priority basis and officers of the relevant department be included in the survey committees.
907 buildings surveyed in Karachi
Briefing the meeting, Diyal Das Rathore, system analyst of PDMA, said that fire safety audit survey committees headed by assistant commissioners are carrying out the survey work and have so far completed the survey of 907 buildings in Karachi division.
DC-South Javed Nabi Khoso informed the meeting that a total of 202 buildings had been audited in his district and all buildings had been informed of standard operating procedures (SOPs) containing details of safety laws and rules.
DC-Central Taha Saleem said 185 buildings had been audited in the district, while DC-East Nasrullah Abbasi said 196 buildings had been surveyed in his district.
DC-Korangi Masood Bhutto said that, for not fulfilling safety requirements, a shopping centre located in Shah Faisal Colony had been directed to take immediate measures to ensure safety arrangements.
According to the details shared in the meeting, the survey collected information on fire safety and disaster management.
Buildings where arrangements have not been made as per safety requirements have been issued notices and asked to fulfil all safety requirements.
Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2026
