Lack of safety measures at Karachi Port: 33 percent dock workers suffering from liver-related diseases

Lack of precautionary safety measures at Karachi Port has caused serious health hazards to the docks workers, as over 33 percent of them are currently infected with severe liver-related diseases, Business Recorder learnt on Thursday.
According to medical department of Karachi Docks Labour Board (KDLB) some 1,000 docks workers have been infected with Hepatitis C, B & A besides many have been suffering from lungs and intestine infections. Sources said that due to non-provision of proper safety equipment during loading and off-loading of various chemical bags including cement and others, the workers got infected with liver diseases.
Workers needs special masks and gloves for loading and off-loading of chemical materials but it seems the authorities concerned have least concern about provision of safe and hygienic working condition to the dock labourers. The water tanks are in bad and unhygienic conditions with sewage standing around the tanks.
Chairman, Karachi Docks Labour Workers Union (KDLB), Hussain Badshah, said due to the prevailing unhygienic condition docks workers have infected with fatal diseases like hepatitis and lungs infections. "We have two hospitals for treatment of affected workers. Patients used to get vaccinations from these hospitals but due to substandard medicines most of the patients could not recover," Badshah said.
He said that most of workers were still braving these infections due to lack of proper attention by authorities concerned. "If authorities provides mineral water bottles to dock workers during work at port the situation would improve as excessive dust contaminates the drinking water in coolers," he pointed out. He said that seaport also lacks basic necessities like toilet facilities for the dock workers.
The situation would aggravate in summer season when there would be no cold water for labourers, especially for morning shift, he added. Most of the toilets at both West Warf and East Warf are in pathetic condition, besides water is unavailable there. Badshah said as port's toilets remain not useable most of the time, the labourers have to go to mosques, far away from berths, to answer the call of nature where they have to pas Rs 5.
President KDLB Workers Union (CBA) Gul Mohammad Khan said they were mulling over establishing Dock Labour Foundation (DLF) to facilitate the dock labourers. International Labour Organisation (ILO) has established a institution where a dock labours are being trained on modern lines to run sophisticated machinery which is inadequate in present circumstances, he said. In this regard, an official of KDLB told Business Recorder on condition of anonymity that there were only 2900 workers in the Board while new appointments have been banned in the Board since last 6 years. He said that about 10 years ago there were more than 10,000 registered workers in the Board but atomisation has compelled board to reduce the number of dock workers thats why ban had been imposed on new appointment.