Under the governing statutory framework, the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) does not have the statutory mandate to provide or maintain firefighting hydrant services or to ensure firefighting water supply, which falls within the domain of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and its fire brigade, according to the KWSC CEO.
Submitting a response to the questionnaire of the inquiry commission on Sunday, Ahmed Ali Siddiqui said that a correspondence letter was sent to the fire brigade department to provide tankers for fire vehicles and the construction of a dedicated water shortage tank for firefighting purposes, but no response was received.
Siddiqui said that the first intimation of fire was received from Rescue 1122 at 10:56pm and the message was acknowledged by the KWSC focal person at 11:13pm. He said the KMC fire brigade department also approached the KWSC at 11:05pm, which was acknowledged at 11:13pm.
He added that after the intimation, the KWSC declared an emergency at all of its seven legal hydrants, and initially, water bowsers were sent from the Nipa, Safoora and Sakhi Hasan hydrants.
He said that additional water bowsers were mobilised from the remaining hydrants to support the firefighting operation, considering the severity and escalating intensity of the fire. He also said the KWSC is a bulk water supply and distribution utility, and does not, under the governing statutory framework, have the statutory mandate to provide or maintain firefighting hydrant services or to ensure firefighting water supply, which falls within the domain of the KMC and its fire brigade.
Siddiqui said the KWSC, however, extended full cooperation and logistical support by deploying water bowsers from its notified hydrants promptly. The key challenges that affected firefighting included distance to the fire site, the ongoing construction works and traffic congestion, which collectively affected timely access.
He said the KWSC supplies water for six hours daily through its piped network to the central fire station and the Saddar fire station of the KMC, which has also been duly acknowledged by the chief fire officer of the KMC fire department.
