Daily Times

Every structure standing in violation of building bylaws is a deathtrap and, given the enormity of disregard to construction laws, it can be safely said that most of the houses and commercial buildings especially in small cities are not safe. The violation of laws claimed 16 lives and left many people injured in Karachi’s Gulbahar area of Nazimabad when an under-construction building collapsed and the collateral damage included the collapse of two adjacent buildings on Thursday. It appears that the building standing on as small plot as 66 yards had already five stories while a sixth one was being added. As Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has ordered an inquiry into the tragedy, the building regulator Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) seems clueless about the status of the house. Had the SBCA been vigilant, it would have stopped the building owners from going ahead with construction plans. As the administration was taking care of the Nazimabad building tragedy, another under-construction building of a school fell on a restaurant in the Karachi’s FB Area. The tragedy killed one man and injured seven people, including two children.

Building collapse incidents are not restricted to Karachi, as whenever there is heavy rain in any area of the country, usual reports of roofs caving in and killing or injuring people start pouring in. Last month, an under-construction building standing in the heart of Muzaffargarh city collapsed killing seven family members of the building owner. Similarly, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck Mirpur town of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in September, it left a trail of death and destruction mainly because of falling buildings. This one was a moderate jolt, slightly short of a big one, but the weak foundations of buildings killed 30 people and injured 400 others. These deaths and injuries were preventable had building bylaws been our priority.

It is time for the government to starty a large scale building assessment activity across the country and the buildings falling in danger zones should be marked and their owners assisted in rebuilding plans. The shortage of houses is a glaring issue of the country for which the government is mulling several options. The government must strengthen building bylaws for future plans and for the existing buildings for the safety of the people. Buildings should be built to provide comfort to the people, not to kill them. *