June 15, 2018

Mumbai

Before moving to Mumbai, Arti Gupta lived in New York City where she was used to racing out of a building the moment she heard the fire alarm. So, when she moved to an apartment on the 39th floor of Planet Godrej, near Jacob's Circle, she followed the same protocol. "The first time the fire alarm rang, my son was only 15 months old. I picked him up and ran down 40 flights of stairs," recalls Gupta. "Once I reached downstairs, I felt so stupid because I was the only one who had done that. Nobody else even knew what was happening."

After seeing how unperturbed Planet Godrej residents were by the fire alarm, Gupta convinced the building management to inform residents in advance; so, people don't assume that every alarm is a drill and ignore it.

The fire at BeauMonde Towers has turned the spotlight once more on fire safety measures in Mumbai's highrises. The rule books lay down an exhaustive list of do's and don'ts. Yet in many cases the law exists only on paper. "A lot of buildings incur huge costs by installing fire safety instruments, but the subsequent maintenance and preparedness is forgotten. During risis, the equipment is reduced to junk," says joint secretary of Chandanbala Co-operative Housing Society, a 21-storey building in Malabar Hill that has come up with their own fire safety mechanisms. "Apart from conducting two fire drills a year... we keep our diesel engine–used to run the water pump–at least 75% filled as a backup in case the electric supply fails during a fire," he adds. "We also conduct a mock drill every Thursday."

Some residents of highrises, however, feel certain that all possible precautions are being taken. Worli's 32-storey Zara Building, for instance, has a water hose and fire extinguisher on every floor, conducts compulsory fire drills for residents, and has ensured that a fire truck can circle the building. Similarly, Raheja Heights Complex in Malad (E) has an in-house fire safety officer and a fire safety maintenance agency conducts a monthly audit, says Jayant Shetty, who serves as the building association chairman.

Yet, even with all precautions in place, residents' fears abound. "Our biggest worry is that firefighters may not be able to reach us on time, given the state of traffic between Nana Chowk, the closest fire station, and our building. Flat owners lack the knowhow to individually deal with a fire incident," says Chandanbala Housing Society's joint secretary. As a precautionary move he suggests, "BMC should make it mandatory for societies to set aside a fund for safety precautions. Assign a fire commando and place elementary firefighting equipment in community spaces in the neighbourhood that people can resort to right away."

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