Fire in slums: An alarming urban risk

Though the nearby fire service station was just two kilometres away from the spot, it took them half-an-hour to reach there due to the narrow, congested roads and huge traffic jam. Only for this problem, the utility of emergency services like ambulance and fire service is being lost, writes M Mizanur Rahman and Simon Rahman Fire outbreaks in slums are nothing new in Dhaka city. Poor people flooding into the capital mainly to earn a decent living often become victims of this hazard but till now we have done little on the issue. Though the reasons of such types of fire incidents is known to all, time has arrived to address these issues as day-by-day the urban population is increasing rapidly. Some critical problems were identified even in the fire management of Rayer Bazar slum. This accident reminds us that if cities are to develop in any sustainable way, they must embrace fresh approaches to urban planning. There is no reliable data on how many people are living or the growth trends of slum population in Dhaka city. However, UN-HABITAT 2001 data state that 85 per cent urban poor live in the slums of Dhaka. And the growth rate of slum population is more than 4.0 per cent. These people live a miserable life earning barely enough to keep body and soul together having no security in terms of food and shelter. The recent fire that engulfed the Rayer Bazar slum at around 11.30 a.m. on November 17, 2011 affected almost 1,000 families. The number of affected people is approximately 4,000 who lost all their belongings in the fire. All the households burnt were mostly two or three storied wooden make-shifts where these people used to live in a very congested set-up. This helped the fire to spread more rapidly with the wind and cause such havoc. Within two and half hours, thousands of families became homeless. People could not inform fire service immediately as they did not have the contact numbers. Still, within 30 minutes of occurrence, the first team of fire brigade reached the spot and was able to act quickly as there was a water body nearby. Though the nearby fire service station was located just two kilometres away, it took them half an hour to reach there due to the narrow congested road and huge traffic jam. Only for this problem, the utility of emergency services like ambulance, fire service is being lost. Ambulance with patient or the fire engines cannot move on the road; none can pay heed to the horn they blow. Thus people are helpless. In this case also before the fire service could reach the spot, the slum had turned to ashes. The fire also caught four concrete buildings which were very close to the slum. A 2-year old child died as her mother had gone to work locking her inside the room. When we visited the area, people were searching amid ashesdebris for their lost assets. Having lost all their belongings, the people are clueless now wondering about their food, accommodation and clothing for the upcoming days. An emergency shelter has been opened under the supervision of a political party; but it is insufficient and insecure compared to the need as it is an under construction multi-storeyed building from which anyone including the children can fall down at any time. There is not enough food supply for the victims as well. Another crucial issue is that men and women will stay in the shelter for the next five days on the open floors of the building, but no steps has been taken to ensure the physical security of women. The emergency shelter remains the only measure taken to accommodate a portion of the victims but still a lot of work needs to be done straightaway to address the miseries of the affected populace. With ever increasing urban pressure, the frequency with which such accidents are increasing. Reducing the disaster risk at rural areas will automatically work for risk reduction in urban areas. Rural disasters are one of the major factors causing migration of people to urban areas. So, a dual approach needs to be taken. Conducting urban risk assessment along with addressing rural disaster risks, and at the same time controlling random rural-urban migration are the two things that need immediate attention of the government. Taking into consideration the frequent accidents especially fire outbreak in Dhaka city, we need to be more prompt in some areas like preparing urban risk reduction action plan after identifying the risks and also investing in the rural areas so that we can control this random rural-urban migration. At the same time, a proper investigation of the reason of fire outbreak is also mandatory as often people claim these incidents to be manmade disasters perpetrated due to political envy or for personal greed. The writers are programme officers at Islamic Relief Worldwide, and can be reached at email: mithunmds07@gmail.com