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Fires - When will Delhi be prepared?
The question is not 'Is Delhi prepared'? The answer to that will be an obvious 'No'. The real question is "When will Delhi be prepared and whether anything can be done to expedite that process?
According to Delhi Fire Service statistics, Delhi had more than 75,000 fire incidents during the last five years (1995-96 to 1999-2000), resulting in more than 1825 deaths, injuries to more than 7,600 persons and loss of property valuing more than Rupees 176 crores. These incidents included two major, twenty-five serious and ninety-nine medium fires. Echoes of Uphaar tragedy have still not died down nor have the families of victims forgottenthe Lal Kuan fire.
The only redeeming feature in this scenario is the declining trend in high - rise building fires - down from a high of 173 in 1993 to only 66 in 1999. This has obviously been achieved because of relentless pursuit by Delhi Fire Services of enforcement of the minimum fire safety standards in such buildings, in spite of inadequacy of some legal provisions. The number of high-rise buildings not complying with such standards has now come down to about70 only from 220 earlier. The fire safety standards have improved in such buildings, but, by no means, reached the level of total safety.
There has also been a welcome decrease in the number of persons injured and deaths during last two to there years but it is too early to take it as a definite trend. It is also difficult to assess from bare statistics as to how much of this decline was fortuitous and how much contributed to by positively planned safety and rescue measures.
But what is worrying is the increasing trend in fires in jhuggis (up by 49% from5277 jhuggis in 1995 to 7840 in 1999, residential areas (up by 21% to 2701 in 1999 from 2240 in 1995), and other fires (up by 33% from 6640 in 1995 to 8858 in 1999). Persons vulnerable to such fires constitute a majority of the populace of Delhi.
The reasons for these trends are not far to seek. They lie basically in laxity in enforcement of planning norms and building bye-laws relevant to fire safety, non-implementation of Municipal and other materials, control on unauthorized encroachments and overcrowding inadequate infra-structure for fire fighting. And, above all, failure to promote proper awareness about fire hazards and concept of fire safety and prevention.
About 70%of fires are estimated to arise from electrical causes, mainly short-circuiting and another about 17% due to carelessness. Electric short circuiting results mainly from illegal loose connections, substandard wiring and over-loading of the system. Illegal tapping of electricity from overhead lines through use of loose hooks has been a common sight in Delhi. During Gandhi Market, Sadar bazar, fire (1990) enquiry, it was found that an electric pole had even being enclosed within the unauthorised construction with overhead wires running only about 4/5 feet above the roof of the illegal construction. Yet, no Municipal Corporation of Delhi or Delhi Electric Supply Undertaking official had even taken notice of these blatant violations of all norms and rules. Then fire was found to have started as result of some wood shavings lying on the roof catching fire from the sparks from the overhead electric line. Due to loose connection of wires of the irregular tapping and over loading, distribution losses are also known to be one of the highest. Yet, the authorities are unable to check such illegal tapping, supposedly due to resistance from local residents and politicians. The recommendations of various Committees to replace overhead lines with underground cables too have not been implemented , particularly in the fire prone older areas.