In the past, fire hydrants that pumped water to help battle fires were placed beside highways in Mumbai and painted bright red. Only 15% of the city’s fire hydrants are operational, putting the British-installed roadside hydrants that pump ground-level water in danger of extinction.
Mumbai had about 10,447 fire hydrants in total, including the city and suburbs. As a result of the infrastructure development over the years, approximately 9,500 are either buried beneath the roads or pavements or have non-functional taps.
In densely crowded cities like Mumbai, where enormous fire engines have a hard time getting to the bylanes, the purpose of the fire hydrants was to pump out water. However, due to the sharp decline in the number of fire hydrants, the Mumbai Fire Brigade has identified 61 locations where water can be pumped out.
Because we have huge water tankers, the firefighting is not slowed down by the fewer fire hydrants on the highways. Additionally, enough locations have been found to pump out additional water in an emergency, according to a fire department officer.
Additionally, there is not enough water pressure in the current fire hydrants to pump out the water. Demands to make the fire hydrants accessible have been made repeatedly. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), however, has little interest in replacing the existing fire hydrants or adding more.
“It has been noted over the years that criminals abuse the fire hydrants. Construction sites and water tankers were supplied with water from the hydrants. Additionally, the hydrants’ water pressure is insufficient. Accordingly, the decision was made not to reactivate the fire hydrants,” stated a senior officer in the Hydraulic Department of BMC.
A state legislative committee attempted to revive Mumbai’s more than 10,000 fire hydrants from the colonial era in 2019. Mandatory internal firefighting system installation in buildings and emergency response training for residents were demands made by the public accounts committee.
Source: The Free Press Journal
