I hold efforts by the State of Qatar to create and apply general safety and security rules in public utilities and institutions in high esteem, especially as we mark the anniversary of the Villaggio fire. These rules were applied according to a specific schedule in the different utilities, government buildings, and old and new markets.
However, like any other country where such incidents occur, we must remind some Qatari and non-Qatari families who have experienced similar accidents at home or in housing blocks, whether they were flats in multi-storey buildings or private homes. Such accidents occur because of kitchen fires, electrical mishaps like short circuits or other, common reasons. They can also happen because of electrical shocks in private or public swimming pools that claim the lives of children and innocent people. All these accidents entail hardships in rescuing or finding a way out for the victims due to the absence of precautionary and safety measures or special engineering provisions. As well as the role played by the culture of the community in constructing buildings which have made things worse by promoting the presence of putting steel barriers on windows. These barriers make quick evacuation in case of fires impossible for people. Worse still, most of these modern houses do not have fire outlets. None of them has safety and security equipment such as firefighting powder or hoses. Most of the kitchens lack extinguishers and special firefighting blankets.
I am not talking here about existing houses but rather about the desire to boost security and safety conditions through special regulations provided by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, even before starting construction of new houses, or developing designs or getting licences for construction.
The agencies concerned should set out specific safety conditions that include the well-known basics of safety and security and firefighting. The conditions should include the specifications of building materials, type of electrical and mechanical appliances for cooling, warming and ventilation. These conditions must be binding in ways that make architects, consulting engineers, technical offices, contractors, and the owner of the house accountable in case of errors. The concerned office should submit a technical report accompanied by a final certificate proving that the constructed building meets the necessary safety and security specifications, even before the owner receives it. A special charter of fines and penalties for violators must be available as well.
I have hopes that the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning will also make more efforts to enforce the necessary specifications in the vicinities of residential units and in houses, neighbourhoods, villages, intersections and roads leading to residential units. They must include fire exits, water taps with enough space for the extension of fire hoses, special signs referring to the location of these hoses that must not be concealed by cars or anything else, and violators must be fined as happens in some developed countries.
It is also important to ensure accessibility for civil defence personnel and their equipment to the residential units and requires making gates and fire exits free of any type of barriers that could hider evacuation or access to the buildings. I also have hopes that the Authority for Standardisations and Specifications will cooperate in making the aforementioned safety and security vision a reality.
It is worth noting here that the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Business and Trade must confiscate substandard materials available in the market, such as power sockets, keys and plugs that do not meet the required and approved quality of standards or do not provide a minimum level of security and safety to the users.
Greedy traders seek to make profits by selling these counterfeit products at the expense of the lives of innocent people.
The Department must also launch awareness campaigns at engineering offices and provide anyone who applies for a construction licence with a list of guidelines and rules we aspire to apply with the aim of ensuring the safety and security of Qataris and expatriates. All this should go hand in hand with the standards of the state of Qatar, which is currently leading in development and seeks to apply maximum quality, safety and security requirements.
