KARACHI: Authorities in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday evacuated a two-year-old building after it tilted dangerously to one side, a spokesperson of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) confirmed, putting the spotlight on the lack of implementation of construction safety regulations in the city.
A four-story building in the city’s Baldia Town neighborhood was evacuated by authorities after it started dangerously tilting to one side due to structural damage.
The SCBA has declared 722 buildings in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city where over 20 million people live, as dangerous and unfit for living. The SBCA is the official authority in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province responsible for approving and regulating the construction of buildings.
Numerous building collapses in the city in recent years have led to accusations that the SBCA is negligent in ensuring builders adhere to construction safety standards.
“This four-story building tiled to a side after one of its pillars were damaged,” an SBCA spokesperson told Arab News on condition of anonymity.
“We immediately evacuated the nearby buildings as the collapse is likely to damage them,” he said, adding that action would be taken against those involved in the faulty construction.
The spokesperson said the authority is vigilantly working to identify dangerous buildings in the city. Building collapses in Karachi have, however, led to significant casualties and injuries in recent years.
Last month a three-story building collapsed in Karachi’s Liaquatabad neighborhood of the city. However, no casualties were reported in the incident as residents had already been evacuated from the building.
On April 22, 2024, a three-story building in the North Nazimabad area collapsed, killing one man and injuring four others. On March 31, 2024, an old building in the city’s Ranchore Line area collapsed, injuring four men and one woman.
On October 11, 2023, a building collapsed in Shah Faisal Colony, resulting in five deaths and two injuries. A two-story building in the Machar Colony area collapsed on December 18, 2023, killing three and injuring 17.
On June 10, 2020, a five-story residential building collapsed in Lyari, killing at least 25.