Municipal bodies given eight snorkels worth Rs1.35 billion

Sindh caretaker chief minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar on Thursday handed over eight snorkels purchased for Rs1.35 billion to the municipal corporations of Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas and Larkana to strengthen their firefighting capabilities.

The snorkel distribution ceremony was hosted by interim local government minister Mubin Jumani at the head office of the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) on Sharea Faisal.

Baqar handed over three snorkels to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, and one each to the municipal corporations of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas and Larkana. During the ceremony he addressed the audience and highlighted a grave issue related to high-rise buildings in Karachi.

He pointed out that many of these buildings lack proper firefighting systems and equipment, and fire exits. In the event of a fire, the residents living on the higher floors are at great risk of getting trapped, which can lead to the loss of both life and property, he lamented.

He emphasised the importance of having a proper firefighting mechanism in place in cities. He said that to achieve this the provincial government has already ordered a fire safety audit of buildings.

The aim is to identify any defects in the buildings and ensure that the builders rectify them to ensure the safety of the residents, he added. The caretaker CM said that it is the shared responsibility of the government and civic agencies to ensure that there are adequate firefighting machines to handle fire incidents. As a result, he pointed out, the government has been investing in buying fire trucks and snorkels for aerial firefighting. He said that the snorkels imported from Indonesia are state-of-the-art firefighting machines. These snorkels are a step towards building more efficient firefighting departments that are well-equipped to handle fire incidents, ensuring the safety of residents, he added.

On the occasion Jumani directed all the LG agencies to develop their own firefighting systems for the protection of their people. He said that the firefighting system would eventually become a part of the Rescue 1122 service.

LG Secretary Manzoor Shaikh said that the provincial government had originally ordered 15 snorkels but only eight could be procured due to the dollar-rupee parity. He said that the snorkels had arrived at the Karachi Port Trust but were stuck there due to the non-payment of Customs duties.

Shaikh pointed out that the interim CM had approved Rs350 million to get the snorkels released, so they were now being handed over to the mayors of the cities. “We are thankful to the chief minister for his support.”