Mumbai: Pali Gaothan in Bandra to get custom fire fighting plan

Residents said it takes an hour for the fire brigade to arrive in case of a fire; the wooden houses are close together, leaving no room for a fire vehicle to pass. Pics/Bipin Kokate

The narrow lanes in Pali Gaothan have never felt more cramped to residents, who fear what will happen if their neighbourhood is hit by the spate of fires that have broken out in the city in the past month. With limited access to fire engines, and no working fire hydrant around, it's a recipe for disaster. But the BMC is now working on a fire-fighting plan for the area that could end up working for gaothans across the city.

Pali village, like other gaothans across Mumbai, comprises mostly wooden houses that are packed together tightly, leaving no room for large fire brigade vehicles to pass. Because of the fire risk this poses, the Afzalpurkar committee report (commissioned by the state's housing department in the 1990s) recommended that gaothans be equipped with fire hydrants.

Residents poses for pictures at Pali Gaothan as story about BMC and fire safety plan at Pali hill Bandra

"Gaothan houses are made of combustible material like teak wood and Mangalorean tiles. If one building catches fire, the flames will spread quickly and take the whole village down. But the fire department doesn't seem concerned about this," said Neil Pereira, Pali Gaothan resident and activist.

Pereira said that after complaining repeatedly, three fire hydrants had been installed in the area around eight years ago. However, one was removed by the water department, and the remaining two are linked to a pipeline that doesn't even have water supply throughout the day.

Residents have had to put out fires on their own in the past, as the narrow lanes made it hard for the fire brigade to arrive in time

Fend for themselves
Last year, when a fire broke out in the village, the villagers could not afford to wait for the fire brigade's arrival, nor could they rely on the hydrants. "Last Diwali, a firecracker fell from a nearby highrise onto the roof of a house in the gaothan. It came into contact with some leaves and the flames spread. Locals had to douse it with water collected in plastic bags. The fire brigade arrived more than an hour later," Pereira recalled.

A situation like this could put the entire village, and the 100-odd families living there, at danger. Unwilling to take this risk, a congregation of residents, led by Pereira, marched to the H-West ward office on Wednesday to demand a solution.

An aerial view of Pali Gaothan shows how congested the lanes between the houses are. Pic/Google Earth

"The Afzalpurkar committee's report states that gaothans need functional fire hydrants. Many commercial establishments are coming up in gaothan areas, and their work is often electrical in nature, which is a fire hazard," said Pereira. None of the other gaothans, such as Chuim and Chimbai villages, have fire hydrants either. Pereira also pointed out that the report also suggested a provision of a 'ring main hydrant system', with a water storage tank of 50,000 litres at a suitable location.

The solution
Following the meeting, officials from the local fire station have been tasked with the responsibility of charting out wells, borewells and any other water sources in the area to eventually draft a plan to deal with fires in an effective manner. BJP corporator Swapna Mhatre, who had accompanied the residents, said that creating such a plan at Pali Gaothan can serve as a pilot project that can later be converted into a policy.

"The fire officials should first survey Pali Gaothan and see if there is a need to set up an artificial tank in the area, or if they can arrange for access to the underground tanks of buildings nearby. Once we have a policy, it can apply to all gaothans, koliwadas and slum areas, and we can present it before the municipal commissioner," she said.

2
No. of dysfunctional fire hydrants in the village

100
Approx no. of families living here

BMCspeak
Sharad Ugade, assistant municipal commissioner of H-West ward, agreed that if a successful plan is drawn up for Pali village, it can be done for other gaothans as well. "It is important to bring all the stakeholders together for a plan like this, especially when the residents are willing to help. The fire officials will identify all the wells and borewells nearby, and will come up with a plan. As per the residents' request, a couple of fire extinguishers can also be installed in public areas at their cost," he said.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates