Karachi fish harbour lacks even an ordinary fire fighting department and largely depends on external sources for fire extinguishing, which could cost the boat builders and owners dearly. The recent fire eruption at the boat building yard of the harbour, which left an under-construction wooden boat partially damaged, could have spread to burn other in-the-making boats to ashes.
The owner of the burnt boat is estimating at least Rs 700,000 for its repair. There are billions of rupees worth boats standing awaiting completion at the yard and are exposed to fire, as some incidents have also taken place in the recent past when a boat at the jetty was being unloaded and caught fire, boat owners said. They said their representatives have held talks with the government officials for setting up of an emergency unit to deal with fire and other incidents on an immediate basis. But the government has not reacted to these incidents, so far.
They cited the Pakistan Navy's example of having fire-extinguishing system, saying the fish harbour's strategic location demands a complete safety network to withstand all circumstances. Boat owners demanded of the government to set up a fire fighting department and an emergency set-up to meet any untoward incident at the fish harbour. They said absence of these facilities puts their businesses at a high risk.
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