JS body for setting up fire hydrants across capital

A parliamentary body yesterday asked the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) to set up necessary number of fire hydrants in the capital to fight fire accidents.

The parliamentary standing committee on disaster management and relief affairs ministry came up with the recommendations at a meeting in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

“Wasa officials who were present at the meeting assured the committee that they will take immediate measures to establish fire hydrants in Dhaka,” ruling Awami League MP Panchanam Biswas, a member of the parliamentary watchdog, told The Daily Star.

As Dhaka has only a few waterbodies, the fire hydrants will help fire fighters to work swiftly in any case of major fire accidents, he added.

Asked, Prof Nazrul Islam, Chairman of Centre for Urban Studies (CUS), said the Jatiya Sangsad committee's recommendation was a positive initiative. “But it has to be established in a coordinated manner.”

He also said Rajuk and fire department would have to be included in the process of determining the number of fire hydrants and where it should be constructed.

Prof Nazrul also said the nature of fire hydrant would have to be determined on the basis of the types of houses and buildings in any particular place.

Iqbal Habib, joint secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, said fire hydrant would not yield any good if it was set up in an unplanned manner like dustbins in Dhaka.