Shortage of water bowsers and fire-extinguishing machines operators, empty fire-tender and half-strength manpower widely added to the blaze that broke out at Karachi Timer Market last weekend to turn billion of rupees property and private wood businesses into ashes. The high-rise buildings and narrow alleys also hindered the efforts to extinguish the fire that engulfed wood godowns and shops in Old Haji Camp on Saturday night.
The fire broke out at 1:00 am while the fire department, which is located at five minutes drive from the site, responded unexpectedly late due to shortage of equipments, well informed sources in KMC told Business Recorder. There are total 22 fire stations in the city including the emergency response centre, Hawks Bay. The fire brigade department has a total 45 fire tenders, three snorkels, one radio-mobile unit, five bowsers and two ambulances. But currently, only 30 fire tenders, two snorkels and dousers are functional.
The nearby fire station failed to mobilise and operate all the four water bowsers it has, as operators of the machines have not yet been appointed. Sources said that operators of water bowsers left jobs after expiry of their contracts and KMC was disinterested in renewing their contracts due the reasons better know to the high-ups of the department.
Interestingly, when the fire was reducing the valuables to the ash, the chief fire officer of KMC was enjoying picnic at Hawks-Bay and he joined fire extinguishing operation at about 0400 hours.
"Scores of fire department's employees are on 'Visa' (drawing salaries without attendance) in connivance with concerned station officer which results in severe shortage of fire-fighters especially at the time of any tragedy in the city," sources said.
"It was the criminal negligence of the government functionaries that they did not swiftly respond to the inferno, resulting in losses to the tune of worth Rs billions," said Atique Mir, Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad.
He revealed that Fire Brigade department lacks capacity to react the situation, adding that it has only 20pc capacity to douse the third-degree combustion.
Karachi has witnessed a number arson-related incidents and other fire tragedies in preceding years including Baldia fire tragedy in which hundreds of workers lost their lives due to what sources said inefficiency of fire brigade department of KMC.
Soon after the Baldia fire tragedy, officials of KMC had decided to upgrade fire fighting system but after the passage of years no adequate measures have so far been taken to upgrade the system. Sources said that millions of rupees funds were embezzled every year.
The another dismal side of the picture is that high-rises, commercial centers and unauthorised industrial structures could not have quick response from fire brigade department in case of any fire tragedy or arson attack due to deepening water crises, prolonged power outages and lack of fuel at fire station.
"Without digging the wells at the fire stations, it is become very difficult for the fire brigade department to carry out rescue work in a city of over 200 million people," Syed Zulfiqar Shah, an official in DMC South said.
According to the laws, a fire station must have large water tank and water hydrant to fill the tanks but most the fire stations don't have water hydrant facility, resultantly the water tanks usually remained unfilled.
The underground water tanks at the fire station are filled with KWSB's sweet water connections but since the water utility has officially announced the water supply suspension schedule the fire stations could not fill the underground tanks during 'Water Holidays'.
KWSB has been observing 'water holiday' in the city due to low water level in Hub Dam-a major source of water supply to Karachi.
It was water holiday on Sunday when fire broke out in Timber Market that further aggravated the situation as fire tenders didn't have adequate water to extinguish the third category blaze, this correspondent learnt during a visit to the site.
Sources said that Fire Brigade Department had emerged as one of the largely politicised departments of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), as only blue-eyed employees continue to get promotions while the senior most ones were still awaiting for promotion despite spending 30 years in service.
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