Officer at the Tardeo fire station M Desai denies it, but Devji Vinjuda is convinced that not making use of a fire hydrant in the area was one of the reasons why the recent blaze in a residential building could not be controlled in time. Vinjuda should not be surprised.

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Figures sourced from the fire control room show that of the 10,843 fire hydrants across the city, only 1,353 (12.5%) are working. The remaining 9,490 are non-functional.

A senior citizen died while 11 others were injured after a fire broke out at Tardeo’s Ganpat Vete Sadan building last Thursday. “The fire brigade personnel began dousing the fire, but in no time, water in one of the tankers got over. By the time another tanker could reach the spot, the blaze spread rapidly. Had they used a fire hydrant, it would have made a difference,” said Vinjuda. Vinduja’s house was damaged in the fire. Other residents of Tardeo agree. They said there is a fire hydrant a few feet away from the building. Desai, however, states that they are not used anymore and that the fire department had enough tankers.

Built as part of the city’s infrastructure, fire hydrants were used to provide easy access to water in case of a fire. They were also meant to provide water when contaminated water had to be flushed out from an area. However, most fire hydrants in the city are either non-existent or of no use anymore.

“They are either defunct, cannot be used, are buried in the ground because of a constant increase in the height of roads or their valves are missing,” said Shyama Kulkarni, a resident of Bandra. At Pali Naka, a fire hydrant stands just six inches from ground and is barely visible to pedestrians and motorists, especially at night. In fact, Kulkarni’s car banged into it last week.

Despite the fire, Tardeo residents have not yet began a crusade to ensure fire hydrants in the area are put to use. However, residents of Bandra have taken it up in a big way. “There have been numerous fires here. When fire broke out at Manish Market, people used buckets to carry water and wasted precious time. Easy access to water can be of great help during such emergencies. We have taken up the matter with the ward office,” said Kulkarni.

Residents have submitted a list of 11 fire hydrants that are non-functional. “Having fire hydrants in the area is very important. Fire can be easily doused if there is easy access to water. Though it is now mandatory for every building to have a separate tanker to store water that can be used in case of fire, hydrants cannot be done away with,” said Bharati Kakkad, a resident of Bandra.

Assistant municipal commissioner of the H/West ward Sunil Dhamane said residents have handed over a list of non-functional fire hydrants. “Talk to one of our junior officers about it,” he said. “We have taken information on hydrants that are not working. A file has been prepared and sent to the head office. A proposal has been made to ensure they are functional again,” said Ravindra Bendkhare, sub engineer in the hydraulic department at H/West ward.