Inferno at Rayerbazar

The fire that broke out last Thursday afternoon at a large slum located at Rayerbazar in the capital city left a trail of severe damage and destruction. The tragedy -- the usual sort that is witnessed in different parts of the capital and other parts of the country around this time of the year -- struck, thus, one densely-populated slum. Besides creating widespread panic and massive damage to property, it took fire fighters more than two and a half hours to put out the fire that gutted hundreds of shanties in the locality. Though the exact number of shanties destroyed is difficult to assess amid widely varying reports in both print and electronic media about it, at least ten people sustained burns. Thankfully, there have been no casualties. The time that was taken to bring the blaze under control at its site points out the vulnerabilities such slums suffer from. Highly congested dwelling units without any safety measures in sight, narrow alleyways, faulty electricity lines and dangerous cooking methods are the common features of any of the dozens of large slums that dot Dhaka city. As pointed out by the fire department, such locations are a fire-fighting nightmare. With little access available for fire engines to get to the spot, coupled with unavailability of access to water, it is hardly surprising that Dhaka witnesses so many fires. Unlike modern residential areas, slums are inhabited by the poorest sections of society. Bereft of not only decent levels of income, the slum populace is also largely lacking in simple commonsense when it comes to safety measures. Sense apart, such shanties are constructed using highly flammable material and in close vicinity of one to another. Most dwelling units in such localities are rickety to start with and are joined together, often sharing a common wall to reduce building costs. Hence when a fire does erupt, whether from a faulty electric line or a gas stove or a very small burning object like that of the butt of a cigarette, the rapidity with which it spreads is phenomenal. All said and done, the residents of Rayerbazar that saw the gutting of hundreds of their shanties have practically lost all their worldly belongings. While authorities estimate the damage caused by it is worth about Tk 5.0 million, what does not often make it to the 'estimate' is that the hundreds of families who resided there have lost everything and must start their lives again from scratch. Estimates vary as to what percentage of Dhaka's populace live in shanties like the one in Rayerbazar. But with its populace exploding with rural migration, it would be safe to state at least 25 per cent of the city's population live in such unhealthy and unsafe conditions. In this context, the issues that are involved, relate to millions of people living in conditions that are unhygienic and mortally unsafe under the best of circumstances; mere words of condolence from authorities in the aftermath of one-too-many slum fire bring little solace to those affected. Countless words of wisdom have been spoken in endless seminars on the need to improve conditions of living in slums that would go a long way in reducing the extent of damage due to such disasters. Yet, it would appear that when it comes to the plight of the voiceless millions who eke out an existence under the socio-economic conditions now obtaining in the country, the collective conscience of the nation is not bothered enough to the point of actually getting down to doing something about it.