Old buildings make SoBo more vulnerable

In 2010-11, south Mumbai had five fire incidents daily, state the latest figures available with the Mumbai fire brigade. Nearly 40% of Mumbai's total fires for 2010-11 have occurred in south Mumbai alone, shows the data compiled from fire stations across the city.

In 2010-11, south Mumbai had five fire incidents daily, state the latest figures available with the Mumbai fire brigade. Nearly 40% of Mumbai's total fires for 2010-11 have occurred in south Mumbai alone, shows the data compiled from fire stations across the city.

HT Image

These statistics combined with HT's exercise to gauge the fire safety of various public buildings of vital significance in the area paints an alarming picture. South Mumbai, the area that houses vital government establishments, headquarters of top corporate houses and national banks and important commercial establishments, is sitting on a tinderbox.

Dilapidated buildings with hardly any fire safety measures, lack of open spaces around buildings and congested streets making fire-fighting difficult.

A senior fire-fighter with the Mumbai fire brigade said, "In south Mumbai, even a small fire can turn into a blaze in a matter of minutes."

Architect Pankaj Joshi, member of the HT audit panel, said, "South Mumbai has the largest block of buildings which are old and dilapidated. While the power consumption in these areas has increased, structurally they haven't been upgraded. It makes the electrical systems very susceptible to fires."