Kozhikode city to get fire hydrant system

KOZHIKODE: The Kozhikode city will soon get a dedicated underground water pipeline to supply water from the main reservoir at Mananchira to various locations in the city to douse fire in the event of fire accidents.

The fire hydrant system, proposed by the fire and rescue service department, would be the first-of-its-kind in the state. The plan is mooted after observing that the narrow and congested roads have been making rescue and rehabilitation process an uphill task for the fire and rescue service personnel. With the laying of dedicated underground waterline, the fire department staff can ensure availability of water at major points by plugging in hose at the nearest sluice valve from the accident site.

Valves will be installed at 25 locations in the network. At present a fire tender takes 25 to 30 minutes to fill and refill water from the reservoir.

Absence of adequate firefighting mechanism has been compelling the fire and rescue personnel to carry out the work manually, which is a difficult task. Congested roads, proximity of shops and busy streets make fire mishaps intense in the city besides hampering firefighting operations. The people have been demanding an effective firefighting mechanism in the city which has seen several fire mishaps recently.

According to data with fire and rescue service department, the district had registered 585 fire mishaps in 2010. The number was 727 in 2011 and 703 till November 2012.

E B Prasad, Kozhikode divisional officer of fire and rescue service department said through the hydrant system the department aims to reduce the damage caused by fire mishaps. "The highlight of the facility is that water through underground pipelines will used only for extinguishing fire. The department has already submitted locations of hydrant points to the Kerala water authority to prepare a detailed project report (DPR). The KWA is expected to submit the DPR to the district collector soon," he said. "We have also submitted another proposal to set up a pumping station at Mananchira which will help us fill water from Mananchira reservoir within five minutes to three fire tenders at a stretch. The system will be set up before March, 2013 with an estimated sum of Rs 7 lakh allotted from the MP fund of M K Raghavan. The PWD electrical wing has been entrusted with the preparation of project," he said.