Narrow bylanes give the creeps

A study of over 380 calls received by Delhi Fire Service last month alone reveals that the most vulnerable areas are in the Walled City and jhuggi jhopri clusters, where narrow bylanes, old buildings and countless illegal extensions make things difficult for firefighters.

The fact that firefighting and rescue efforts in these area are challenging was seen when hundreds of people were left homeless after a fire broke out at a slum in Sadar Bazar area on June 1. Within minutes, the flames had engulfed some 250 shacks.

Most of them were gutted before the fire department could reach the spot.
On Saturday, another fire broke out at a multi-storey building at Bara Tuti in Sadar Bazar.

“The Walled City and JJ colonies are very congested, and the lanes servicing them are hardly a metre wide. We are often left helpless as we cannot take our vehicles in these narrow lanes,” said DFS chief A K Sharma. The jhuggis are small in size but clustered together in large numbers, they add to the fire department’s problems, he said.

Sharma said the materials used for construction in slum clusters are combustible and produce toxic gases when burnt. A huge quantity of rags, chemicals and plastic material stored in such areas also prove to be a major concern.

“Unsystematic layout also leads to an entire area being gutted in a very short period of time,” Sharma added.

Senior fire officials said the problems of traffic jams, illegal hawkers encroaching upon public space and unauthorised parking must be solved urgently to enable better firefighting.

And when fire tenders reach such spots late, firefighters sometimes face hostile crowd that start pelting stones and damaging equipment. Sharma said a solution to this problem is relocating slums  in a planned manner, and ensuring that the new locations allow fast movement of firefighting vehicles.

“Provisions for supply of electricity through underground cables and prevention of business activities in JJ clusters should also be made compulsory,” he added.

For the Walled City, he suggested formation of local watch-and-ward parties and training them in first-aid and handling basic firefighting equipment.

“We believe that proper public awareness programmes for fire prevention and regulation of electrical installations will help in decreasing incidents,” Sharma said.

His department has acquired motorcycles and Toyota Innova cars equipped with a portable firefighting system as part of its quick response initiative for congested areas.