The garbage heaps dotting the city are keeping not just the civic authorities but fire officials too on their toes this summer.
According to officials, the department has attended to 300 fire incidents in Kochi over the past one month and the officials with the fire stations in the city have spent most of their time dousing flames at trash dumps. The number of cases attended to during the period will be double this number when those reported from the rural areas are added.
“We are getting an average of 10 calls a day and the majority of them are about garbage piles being set afire. The calls come from across the city and in most cases, it is the city residents themselves who are burning the mounds,’’ said Sidhakumar V., Assistant Divisional Fire Officer, Ernakulam.
In view of the rising cases, the department has kick-started a public awareness programme, advising the public not to throw burning cigarettes around and switch off electrical appliances while leaving home.
In the rural region, several cases of barren fields and rubber plantations catching fire were reported during the period. With a few more months left for the rainy season, officials now expect the number of distress calls to go up in the coming days.
“Though there is no direct relation between the scorching sun and fire accidents, certainly the summer heat is conducive for fire accidents. The dry materials easily get ignited in the summer season. Even a small spark such as an abandoned cigarette butt can cause a huge disaster,’’ said another fire officer.
Meanwhile, the shortage of water is proving to be a major headache for the department in attending to the rising number of cases. “The water bodies have almost dried up, which is affecting our operations to a great extend,’’ officials said.
While the 18 fire stations in the district keep a stock of 1 lakh litres each, it may not be adequate if back-to-back fire accidents take place.
