Every time there is a fire, it dies of its own accord because firefighting facilities, which are available at present in all the major towns and cities in the country, show no muscle to cope with such large fires. It is put out when every thing has been burnt and nothing is left to fuel the fire.
This dismal scenario was reported in a leading newspaper of March 28, lamenting therein the sad plight of the ginners of Rahim Yar Khan: "Neither the government is interested in looking up its fire brigade units in the district nor ginning factory owners take any pains to establish the facility on their own despite suffering heavy losses in cotton fire incidents every year."
The district of Rahim Yar Khan, known for producing the best cotton lint in the world, produces around 1.5 to 2 million cotton bales every year. Despite its quality and its great demand, no efforts have been made to arrest the losses that occur every year.
Last year cotton worth about Rs 400 million was reduced to ashes in our country, but no concrete steps have been taken by the concerned authorities to save the precious crop from being burnt which could, if saved, bring the much-needed foreign exchange.
Surprisingly, the district of Rahim Yar Khan has about 133 ginning factories, which gin and produce about two million fully pressed bales. Inspite of such a huge set-up of factories no measures have been taken to create fully-equipped fire brigade units neither by the government nor by the owners of ginning factories.
To establish a fire fighting unit in a ginning factory does not cost much as compared to the expense that is incurred in setting up and running a ginning factory.
An owner of the factory confided to me that a ginning factory is established at an expense of about Rs 9 million and then the owner spends about Rs 100 to Rs 150 million to run the factory to gin cotton but, unfortunately, for the protection of his large investment he is reluctant to expend a small amount to save cotton from fire.
For setting up a fire-fighting unit in its factory, an owner has to invest only a sum of Rs 600,000 which is pea-nuts in comparison to the amount in establishing a ginning factory. Besides, the fire insurance policy which insures a ginning factory, contains an important warranty: "Warranted that the insured must have their own reservoir of water of a capacity of 25,000 gallons, electric motor of 20 H.P, pump of 250 gallons per minute (GPM) and 3x 100 feet hose pipes."
Is it not ironical that an industrialist is prepared to invest Rs 9 million to set-up a factory and is also willing to spend another amount of Rs 150 million to run it, but he is not willing for the safety of his assets to expend six lacs of rupees? In other words, penny-wise, pound-foolish.
Readers would be shocked that during 2004 and 2005 this district has the worst kind of fire losses, which cost the insurers almost a fortune.
The fire loss of Khawja Muzaffar Mehmood cotton factory occurred on November 4, 2004, destroyed cotton worth of millions of rupees. On December 29, 2004, around 100,00 mounds of cotton was burnt at Anwar Cotton Ginning factory. About 40,000 bales of cotton valuing Rs 423 million were reduced to ashes at the godown of Trading Corporation of Pakistan in Akramabad on April 15, 2005. Aleem Cotton Industries suffered a fire loss of Rs 48 million on January 13, 2006.
On account of these major fires ginning factory owners had to bear the loss of heavy amounts because the government's fire brigade units proved too inadequate and ill-equipped to cope with the demanding situation.
Why ill-equipped because there are only six total fire brigade vehicles for the entire district? Out of which three vehicles are in the charge of Rahim Yar Khan and the other three are in possession of Sadiqabad, Khanpur and Liaquatpur. The fire brigade in-charge lamented that 3 vehicles in use of Rahim Yar Khan had become too old to rely on them as one tender is 32 years old and other two are 28 years old and 12 years old.
He said further that the minimum requirement to over-come this deficiency, at least 3 more vehicles and a mini vehicle were needed urgently. What a miserable and horrendous plight of fire fighting facilities in Rahim Yar Khan that produces high quality of cotton lint of the quantity of around two million bales!
The other districts where cotton is grown such a Vehari, Mailsi, Mian Channu, Shujabad, Khanewal and Rajanpur etc might be of similar condition as far as fire-fighting facilities are concerned.
What to say of the interior districts of the Punjab and Sindh which are the main belly of cotton crop, even the city of Karachi is not out of woods as far as fire brigade units are concerned. All tenders of fire brigade stations are outdated and not fit to meet any small fire what to speak of major conflagration. What a pathetic situation!
According to the international rules there should be one fire station, with four fire tenders for every thousand hundred persons, and for the population of Karachi, there should have been at least 110 fire stations and 440 fire tenders and two ambulances at each fire station.
The Chief Fire Officer, Syed Kazim Ali, said that there was a need for 200 fire stations for the existing population of the city while it had only 20 fire stations. There is one snorkel while the need is for 12 snorkels. On top of all these inadequacies there is the water scarcity at all fire stations. To overcome water shortage each fire station should be given water connections of 4 inches diameter with round-the-clock water supply.
The important role that Fire Brigade plays in controlling fire losses and saving of human lives does not need any elaboration. Its utility is known to every one just like the bright sunshine. The tragedy is that our government as well as our industrialists are penny-wise, pound-foolish.
The expense is made where it is unproductive, and it is denied where it is productive. The result is Fire losses are mounting every year on account of shortage of fire-fighting facilities. Its burden is shouldered by insurance companies. Insurance is not its solution because insurers cannot wear the mantle of fire brigade.
The fact is that for the last two or three decades no proper attention has been paid to fire brigades even to provide it with essential equipments what to talk of bringing it upto international standard.
It is high time that the City Nazim of Karachi should give the highest priority to this deficiency and devote his entire energy and resources to fully equip this city of lights with latest and sophisticated fire fighting equipment otherwise a time is not far off when everything would be beyond anybody's control.
May God forbid, fire sufferers would be very soon as helpless as presently the citizens of Karachi are before the snipers, terrorists and dacoits?
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