The writer is an international development professional based in Islamabad.

IN only one month, we have seen three large-scale fires killing more than 40 people and injuring dozens more in or near Karachi. The first example is the Gadani ship fire, the second is the fire at a methanol storage facility owned by a private company called Pakistan House International (PHI) in Keamari, and the third is the Regent Plaza hotel.

In the case of the fire in Keamari, for instance, they first tried to douse it with water, then realised that this was a chemical fire and water would not work. Then they brought the foam that was required, and used the proper mixture of foam and water, which worked. And then they ran out of foam. At the end, all they could do was stand and watch as a methanol tank burned itself out.

PHI is a private company that operates many tanks for storing chemicals, some of them designated as “dangerous chemicals” by the law. They have an NOC from the office of the Chief Inspector, Explosives Department, Ministry of Industries, in order to handle dangerous chemicals. According to Karachi Port Trust, GM Operations, Mr Asif Hameed, the NOC is renewed annually after inspection, and based on this renewal, their lease on the plot of land upon which they have built their storage facility is also renewed.

Following the fire, a preliminary inquiry showed that there were two violations of the terms of their NOC. First, the distance between the tanks needs to be 20 feet, to allow emergency vehicles get through if there is an accident in one of the storage tanks in the rear. Second, they were storing chemicals (methanol) that were not covered by the terms of their NOC, according to Mr Hameed.

Will Regent Plaza simply be painted over, equipped with new furniture, and throw its doors open again as if nothing happened?

“Thank God, the fire erupted in one of the tanks near the road, at the front of the facility,” he said. If one of the rear tanks had caught fire, there was nothing that could have been done.

So how did the NOC get renewed year after year, given that at least one of these violations could be spotted with the naked eye? At the moment, the best answer we get is that a detailed investigation is under way. Is it fair to assume that PHI had been handling substances not covered by their NOC for long? Yes, says Mr Hameed, although for exactly how long will also only be known after the investigation.

Fortunately, the fire did not turn into a major calamity, considering it occurred in an area where vast amounts of highly flammable chemicals are stored. A large share of Pakistan’s oil imports land at Keamari port, and the area is covered with vast storage depots with enormous quantities of fuel. It was a stroke of luck that the fire remained confined to the methanol tank where it broke out. Had it spread, causing larger explosions as it spread from one tank to the next, one shudders to think what the consequences would have been.

Even though a larger calamity was averted, purely because of luck, the fire did succeed in shutting down oil movement at the port for a day, sparking rumours of potential shortages at the pumps. PSO was able to resume operations the next day, and its tanker was allowed to berth the next night, otherwise we might well have had to face the spectre of another petrol shortage upcountry had the mishap taken on larger proportions.

In the case of the Gadani fire, once again it was careless management by the owners that led to the tragedy. And, once again, first responders were late in arriving, and then could do little more than stand and stare as the fires raged for four days. The fire burned so hot that water when dropped from the air would turn to steam and dissipate before it even reached the ship. The imagination recoils when thinking about the fate of the workers who were trapped inside.

In the case of the Regent Plaza hotel, once again a detailed inquiry is under way to determine whether criminal negligence was the cause, but in the meantime, “an independent expert body … claimed that it had carried out an inspection about a year ago and warned the owners about the vulnerable and dilapidated electrical system that posed a serious threat to people’s lives”, according to a front-page report in this newspaper.

Incidentally, the same company says in the same report, they identified another hotel near Chief Minister House (three of the largest luxury hotels in the city are located near it) whose electrical system had also “almost collapsed”.

Will there be any negative consequences for the owners of the facilities involved? Have there ever been proper consequences for business owners when things go horribly wrong on their premises?

As a start, will PHI be allowed to continue importing and storing dangerous chemicals in the immediate vicinity of Pakistan’s largest oil-storage infrastructure? Will Regent Plaza hotel simply be painted over, equipped with new furniture, and throw its doors open again as if nothing ever happened? Will the appeal of the ship-breakers of Gadani to be allowed to resume operations be heeded, or will they be asked to first explain what steps they have taken to ensure the same tragedy is not repeated, and explain what sanctions should fairly be applied on them should it happen again?

If we keep papering over these disasters, burying the truth in myriad ‘investigation reports’, deflecting blame like a pinball through the labyrinth of bureaucracy, we set the ground for a massive tragedy whose consequences could well engulf us all. Let’s start by holding the owners accountable in each case, and sending out a message: that once your premises are hit by a tragedy of this sort, it will never, ever, be back to business as usual for you again.

The writer is a member of staff.

khurram.husain@gmail.com

Twitter: @khurramhusain

Published in Dawn December 8th, 2016