OPINION: So many hazards

The recent fire at Gul Plaza has me thinking about other hazards that the public in general face on a daily basis without realizing how close they come to tragedy when they travel in different parts of the city and how just moving about in this metropolitan city is like playing Russian roulette with your life.

The thing that came to my mind as top of the list is the sale and hire of gas cylinders. This entity has increased not only in usage as gas supply through gas lines dwindle and what was once just sought after by the lower middle class is also now aggressively pursued by the upper classes, leading to mushroom growth of shops that offer gas cylinders whose storage, distribution and usage leaves much to be desired.

Here are the legal requirements for storing gas cylinders and I leave it to your judgment to decide how many of these safety regulations are actually followed. According to legal requirements, gas cylinders must be stored upright, secured with chains/straps in a dry, well-ventilated, and clearly identified area away from heat, direct sunlight, and ignition sources.

Full and empty cylinders should be stored separately. Flammable gases should be kept at least 20 feet (6 meters) from combustible materials, or a 5-foot-high fire-rated barrier should be used. Hardly any of this is ever implemented and usually the cylinders are piled up haphazardly, handled with utter carelessness and the person filling them is totally unaware of the precautions necessary for such a job.

Not only ignoring such storage practices and careless handling of gas cylinders resulted in blasts/explosions in the past but lives have been lost and property destroyed.

At least three people were killed and several others critically wounded in a blast at a gas station in Karachi that occurred during the unloading of cylinders in December 2023. Another most tragic and recent incident that made headlines not only in Pakistan but in the region occurred in Jan this year which is not too long ago in which 8 persons, including a groom and his bride, lost their lives due to a gas cylinder blast.

The incident was so tragic and heart moving that those holding top positions in the incumbent government expressed their utter grief and concern, including the president of Pakistan, who called the incident tragic and deeply distressing, and directed relevant regulators to ensure strict enforcement of safety standards relating to the manufacture, quality and use of gas cylinders.

This really is the crux of the problem. No matter how many laws you make if they are not implemented they will remain useless and continue to germinate tragedies that claim innocent lives. After this tragic incident and even after clear instructions from the top people the sale and storage of gas cylinders goes on without taking the steps required for safety.

It was expected that after the horrible tragedy at Gulf Plaza an immediate audit of other shopping centers will be made. Highlighted will be the available fire escape routes, areas for storage of flammable material, clear indication of the location of firefighting equipment, which means if there is any and to urgently install such equipment in all the shopping plazas in Karachi.

So far the emphasis is on other things which will not help prevent future fires and God forbid we will again be discussing some other tragedy without trying to prevent any in the future.

I am amazed at the calm approach to possible future fires in crowded places even after this horrible tragedy without any essential changes carried out in safety standards of shopping plazas that have so far escaped any such incident.

Between careless sale of gas cylinders and shopping centers that do not have adequate safety measures we are living a dangerous life. In the middle of this dangerous and complicated situation is the guy who goes by my house every day shouting at the top of his voice invitations to get your gas cylinders fixed.

I have no idea what are his qualifications but they seem to be many and varied. He also fixes sewing machines, gas ovens and a score of other rather complicated and even dangerous household equipment. Let us hope he knows his business.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026