LAHORE: All commercial markets and plazas should have fire hydrants installed as part of public-private cooperation and for the sake of public safety and business security.
This demand was raised at a meeting between District Emergency Head of Rescue 1122 Shahid Waheed and President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kashif Anwar.
Rescue 1122 has a total capacity of 75,000 litres of water for rescue missions, Shahid Waheed informed the LCCI president. There are two 19,000 litre vehicles, he said, adding that managing the situation during fire occurrences at the Hafeez Centre, Pace, Shahalam market, and Children’s Hospital was quite challenging.
He said that all 30 vehicles ran out of water as the Rescue 1122 crew arrived at the Children’s Hospital to put out the fire. The lack of nearby hydrants caused a significant loss of time, which caused the damage to multiply by four.
He said that the operational time of the vehicle with 19,000 liter capacity is 10 minutes and it has to be refilled. He said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry should play its role for the installation of fire hydrants in commercial plazas and commercial markets.
He said that a single outlet water hydrant can be installed on the four-inch line of WASA which will cost Rs 25,000. He said that the ownership will belong to the plaza owner.
He said that the problem is that there is no WASA line in Shahalam market. The hydrant can be installed with a line from the nearest tube-well or turbine. If the water hydrants are found up to two hundred meters, the loss of lives and property can be mitigated.
He said that WASA should cooperate in this regard by providing free of cost water lines for the installation of fire hydrants. He said that Rescue 1122 has issues building safety certificates for the buildings that are 50 feet or more in height.
The LCCI President Kashif Anwar said that the representatives of market associations and commercial plazas should ensure installation of water hydrants. He said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with Rescue 1122, will take measures for awareness amongst the masses. He said that WASA should allow free of cost hydrant services for the security of people and businesses.
It is imperative to mention here that the management of Pace Center visited LCCI and urged the LCCI president to help them in compensation which is already announced by the government. He said that the government announced a compensation of Rs.50 million for the affectees of fire incident in Pace but still no amount has been given.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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