The massive fire that broke out at a footwear godown in the city on Wednesday morning, which initially threatened to spiral out of control and turn into a major tragedy, is a wake-up call for Kochi where building rule violations are rampant and safety measures are largely inadequate.
“There is total violation of rules when it comes to fire and safety, especially in high-rise buildings,” says George Mathew, Professor, Division of Safety and Fire Engineering, Cochin University of Science and Technology. Accessibility to buildings, especially high-rises, is another area that needs close scrutiny to ensure that a tragedy does not occur, he says pointing out that most buildings, including high-rise living apartments, lack it.
Licence for godown?
R. Prasad, Technical Director of Fire and Rescue Services, asks how a godown was allowed to be set up in the middle of such a crowded area.
Dr. Mathew says godowns cannot be operated out of high-rise buildings while Mr. Prasad adds that combustible materials in the godown might have accelerated the spread of fire.
Deputy Mayor T.J. Vinod says there might not be any technical difficulty in providing licences for godowns to operate in a commercial area. He also points out that there was zoning in the city, but licences were renewed yearly on the basis of inspections of premises and safety measures.
Fire and Rescue Services officials say most buildings undergo major alterations after getting permits. “For instance, most buildings have metal sheet roofs to prevent heating of the roof as well as to prevent leaks. However, these structures prevent rescue operations. Most importantly, smoke from a building will be prevented from going out if sheet roofs are established,” they say.
One of the hurdles that was pointed out by firemen during the firefighting on Wednesday was that the building did not have enough space around it to allow access to fire tenders.
The present municipal building rules do not call for space around the building except that it prescribes five-metre space in the front and an equal space by the side of the building.
