Is DelhiNCR fire safe?
FIRE SAFETY Plush malls, posh residential towers have mushroomed, but fire departments not equipped adequately
people from across the globe watched in shock and awe the massive blaze in a 24-storeyed tower block in West London on Wednesday, questions were raised on the poor fire safety record of high-rise buildings that have mushroomed in Delhi-NCR.
Three firemen died in two recent cases in Delhi. Besides the poor enforcement of safety and building bye-laws, the fire department lacks latest technologies and manpower to operate in lifethreatening situations.
The scenario is no different in the ‘newer’ cities of Noida and Gurgaon, where plush malls and posh residential towers have mushroomed, but no attention has been given to adequately equip the fire departments.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) is equipped with just five skylifts — one is out of order.
“Our fighting happens from inside, not outside. We focus on sending our men inside the buildings. New buildings are growing taller by the day. We cannot keep procuring taller skylifts each time,” says GC Mishra, DFS director.
In Delhi, there are around 3,000 buildings taller than 15 metres. The trouble starts when even the authorised multi-storeyed buildings change design to add more compartments. “In those circumstances, the firefighters find it difficult to gain access to the building from other entry points,” said Atul Garg, chief fire officer, DFS.
In Gurgaon, which boasts of countless skyscrapers, little has changed even 13 years after a massive blaze broke out in a multi-storeyed building in DLF Cyber City – just days before a multinational company was to move into this state-of-the-art building.
Back then, the city lacked fire fighting infrastructure and it sought help from Delhi Fire Services, which had to rush a hydraulic ladder (skylift) and fire tenders to douse the flames. Water sprayed by the Haryana fire service tenders had failed to reach even the ninth floor, which was 30 metres high.
Even today, the government is dependent on the private sector. However, what has changed in this city since the Cyber Green fire incident is that the number of high-rises has crossed 1,100, many of which are as high as 195 metres (60 floors).
The hydraulic platforms of Haryana Fire Service can reach only the 14th floor (40 metres) of a high-rise. Equipment and personnel from the fire departments of Air Force, DLF Ltd, Honda Motorcycles & Scooters and Maruti Suzuki are often borrowed during an emergency. The DLF fire station — NCR’s first private fire station — has two hydraulic platforms that can reach up to 90 metres.
SK Dheri, former chief of Delhi Fire Services, who also headed DLF Fire Services, said that besides firefighting equipment, the response time is a key issue. “Only a select number of fire stations spread across the city don’t ensure timely help. Poor traffic management also adds to the problem,” he said. Equipped with only one 42-metrehigh hydraulic platform that can reach up to 14 storeys, the fire department in Gautam Budh Nagar lack equipment to deal with emergencies in 950 high-rise buildings that have 20 to 25 floors.
According to officials, there are nearly 2,000 high-rises in Noida, including the Supernova in Sector 94 with 80 storeys and a height of 300 metres.
“As per our records, of the total 2,000 buildings, nearly 950 have 20 to 25 storeys where we cannot reach with our hydraulic platform,” said Gautam Budh Nagar chief fire officer, Arun Singh.
The situation is even worse in neighbouring Ghaziabad where fire department does not have even one hydraulic platform, though authorities said they are in the process of procuring a 42-metre one.
The development authority has given permissions for construction of buildings up to 22 storeys high. However, fire officials could reach only up to six storeys with their current equipment.