From Delhi to Odisha, the fire tragedies that repeat the same lessons

Fire preparedness is a well-developed discipline in many parts of the world. Yet, outbreak after outbreak has exposed the failure to draw from its insights while designing public places, housing colonies, shopping complexes, cinema halls and hospitals in the country. Two tragedies last week exposed the appallingly low priority accorded to basic safety measures in Indian cities. A defunct fireproofing system, a delayed call to the fire brigade and poorly designed fire exits were among the factors that snuffed out 12 lives after a blaze in the ICU unit of a hospital in Cuttack, Odisha. Less than 72 hours later, nine members of a family lost their lives after a fire gutted a commercial-cum-residential building in a congested locality in southwest Delhi. Preliminary investigations have revealed familiar violations and abdications: A large amount of combustible material stored within the premises, precious time lost because the four-storey structure had only one entry and exit, and a malfunctioning hydraulic crane that delayed firefighting operations.

The National Building Code has detailed directions on installing fire alarms, providing sprinkler systems and designing safe evacuation routes. The Code, as well as the National Disaster Management Authority, also lays down specific guidelines to shield healthcare centres from fires. The real problem, however, lies in enforcement. In most Indian cities, includingDelhi, commercial entities exist cheek by jowl with residential quarters. In many cases, shops, workshops and warehouses occupy the lower floors while families live above. Ensuring safety amid such mixed land use requires exceptional vigilance from civic agencies. Yet fire audits are, at best, once-in-a-few-years exercises, and the electricity load of buildings is rarely recalibrated to reflect changing use. Building owners often alter the original design of structures, frequently eliminating fire escape routes. Factory machinery overloads ageing wiring systems, heightening their vulnerability to short circuits. Policymakers, too, appear to have learnt little from studies that underline the need tobudgetfor a safety buffer in the initial power load of non-residential buildings — in hospitals, which have a complex environment, with vulnerable patients, hazardous chemicals and sensitive equipment, the consequences of such negligence can be catastrophic.

The Odisha government has suspended four officials and a probe into the Delhi tragedy is underway. Justice must certainly be served in these cases. But beyond fixing individual culpability, it is high time that the larger systemic failures that lead to avoidable fatalities are confronted with seriousness and urgency.