File photo of mock drill of the fire hydrants installed around the Margao Municipal markets earlier this month, but the stakeholders, including MMC workers, traders and security personnel not yet imparted training to handle and operate the fire hydrants.
MARGAO
After the devastating blaze in Vasco that destroyed property worth crores of rupees, a senior officer of the Margao Fire Station called up a Margao Municipal Official on Thursday morning with a question -- When the civic body would send its workers and personnel for training in operating the fire hydrants installed in the city’s congested and fire-prone municipal markets.
The Thursday morning call is significant for reasons more than one – for it’s now more than 25 days since the fire services had tested the water pressures in the 15 fire hydrants installed around the New Market and the Gandhi market to assist and facilitate fire fighting operation.
The call assumes significance in view of the need to ensure that fire fighting operations can begin without delay in the event of an emergency. With narrow, congested roads and traffic snarls often hampering the movement of fire tenders, trained market workers and other stakeholders could initiate the fire fighting process before the fire services arrive, helping contain the blaze and minimise damage to property.
However, despite the fire personnel testing the water pressure in the hydrants in the presence of PWD Minister Digambar Kamat 20 days ago, the MMC is yet to send its workers or security personnel to the Margao Fire Station for basic firefighting training, including the operation of hosepipes during emergencies.
The delay has raised questions over the apparent lack of urgency in strengthening fire safety preparedness in Margao’s vulnerable market areas. It has also brought into focus the gap between the measures announced after previous fire incidents and their implementation on the ground.
Consider this: December 26 will mark three years since a fire gutted a couple of shops in the New Market in 2023. The installation of fire hydrants was proposed in the aftermath of that incident, but the system is yet to be formally commissioned.
Besides the pending training of market stakeholders, the authorities concerned, including the fire services and the Public Works Department (PWD), are yet to test the water pressure during daytime and afternoon hours to establish whether the hydrants can deliver the required pressure for effective fire fighting operations during those periods.
The developments raise a crucial question: despite the lessons of the December 2023 New Market fire and subsequent efforts to strengthen the city’s fire fighting infrastructure, why are essential preparedness measures still awaiting implementation?
