The fire accident, which took place in the Gulzar Houz area of the Old City of Hyderabad which killed 17 people, including eight children of a family, has frightened city residents.
The accident was so severe that the victims died due to asphyxiation within an hour of the fire starting on the ground floor. Officials said that a short circuit was the reason for the accident. They said that some outdoor units of air conditioners exploded and that smoke engulfed the rooms where the family was sleeping.
There was no escape for the family as the only narrow staircase that led outside was on fire. As they could not go down or up, the victims inhaled the smoke and died.
Fire accidents are not new to Hyderabad, but the conditions which caused the fire at Gulzar Houz have sent a chill down the spines of citizens. Lakhs of families in Hyderabad live in similar conditions in which the Gulzar Houz family has lived.
Most residential buildings in the Old City and some parts of the new city are located in densely populated areas, and on top of that, they are constructed in a semi-detached manner. There would be no space between houses, and they share a wall.
These buildings were constructed decades ago and obviously did not adhere to any rules. Lakhs of people live in these houses as these areas are centrally located.
The fire accident in Gulzar Houz has raised many questions about the safety of the occupants of these houses. Narrow lanes, no space between houses, and no windows would render firefighters helpless.
Around 59 people have died in seven major accidents in the last 23 years in Hyderabad. Most of the times officials came to the conclusion that the accidents took place due to short circuit or the burning butt of cigarettes.
Experts have suggested many steps to prevent fires. They are of the view that the National Building Code should be revisited and new norms must be prepared.
They explained that the fire safety measures currently prescribed by fire services departments across India do not reflect the advancement in fire safety technologies now available in the market. Current guidelines predominantly recommend water-based sprinkler systems with wet risers or downcomers, which often lead to practical challenges, inconvenience, and even damage in certain cases.
They have suggested that systems like aerosol-based extinguishers, clean agents, inert gases, Dry Chemical Powder (DCP), foam-based systems, and liquid CO2 could be used in place of water during residential and industrial fire accidents.
They are of the view that the residential building safety norms should be made applicable to old houses.
Experts have pointed out that an unbearable load was laid on the electrical wiring system in lakhs of houses in Hyderabad and surrounding areas. The installation of air conditioners without considering the capacity of wiring is leading to fire accidents.
The wiring in the old houses does not meet current standards. The owners do not bother to change the wiring and go on adding new gadgets.
Today, most houses have fans, coolers, grinders, fridges, air conditioners, and lights which need a lot of power. The old wiring systems were designed to carry a load required to run just fans and lights.
The upper middle class and the rich are using more than one air conditioner, which consumes a lot of power. This needs three three-phase connection and higher voltage. It leads to an unbearable load on the weak wiring system. The wiring system in old houses did not have trip switches in the event of a short circuit.
In some houses, even today, the fuses and meters are fitted on wooden boards, which would catch fire immediately if there is a short circuit.
Apart from the wiring, the terraced houses, row houses, semi-detached houses, and multi-family dwellings are a challenge to firefighters if something goes wrong. Some houses did not have wide staircases. In some houses, only one person can pass at a time.
The roads, lanes and by-lanes of the old city and parts of the new city would not allow fire engines to reach the spot. The fire engines being used in the city are designed to Western road standards. We do not have small and medium-sized fire engines which can enter the narrow lanes of our towns.
The firefighters also face water scarcity problem. The water carried in the engine would not be enough when a major fire accident takes place, and they have to search for water sources. The water pipelines are operated for limited hours in a day, and no tapping point is provided, like in Western countries.
The old buildings of Hyderabad do not have enough ventilation. The front and back doors are the only ventilation points in most houses. Most houses do not have exhaust fans which can blow the smoke out when accidents take place.
In order to ensure that the Gulzar Houz incident does not repeat the state and central governments should take some immediate steps. Ventilation should be made mandatory in all old buildings. By-lanes should be widened, and encroachments on roads should be removed.
The electricity department should be asked to inspect old houses and examine whether the wiring is compatible with current electrical needs. The owners should be advised to use fire-resistant wires, even though their cost would be Rs 3 to Rs 4 per meter more than conventional wires. All wooden panel boards should be removed, and new panel boards which adhere to the present-day standards should be fitted.
Smoke detectors should be fitted in every room so that residents can become alert as soon as the fire starts. Fire alarms should be linked to the nearest fire station so that fire engines can reach the accident spots immediately.
