NEWS reports have it that a two-and-a-half-year minor boy was burnt to death while the households of some 374 families were gutted at the same time in a devastating fire which swept through the slum in the capital’s Madhubagh area on Saturday. The cause of fire or the extent of damage could not be ascertained immediately but the fire service officials suspected that the fire might have originated from an electric short circuit. Locals moreover fear that it might have occurred due to a gas burner. The affected people are now lamenting in the open air as most of their valuables were burnt to ashes. Reports said that the district administration has decided to provide Tk 20,000 to the lone victim’s family, besides giving Tk 3,000 and 20 Kg of rice to affected families now without a home.
As we see like many previous fire incidents in slums, the latest fire has also originated from an electric short circuit. The case of the gas burner also may not be ruled out. But in both the cases, the poor slum dwellers are the victims and the poor quality of electric equipment and most probably its poor maintenance are the main reasons. The poor are most vulnerable to risks because of the congested situation typical of most slums. Politically influential persons control these slums through their local agents and rent the shanties. But they take no care to maintain the power supply, or take care of its maintenance or enquire into the safety of gas lines. Moreover, most dwellers who are rickshaw pullers go out to the city streets early in the morning and the female members go for work at different households as domestic help. Children remain in the slum houses to become quick victims of any accident.
The Madhubagh fire could become more devastating but due to the quick intervention of the fire service and because of it was day time, the fire could be contained with fewer casualties than many such accidents in the past. But the question of safety of the poor slum dwellers remains the most critical issue, because they are also human beings and must have the right to be protected in any environment. Another issue may be whether or not it is possible to put in place an inspection system of utility services of slum dwellings to make sure that their electric short circuits and gas lines are safe. We are afraid of more such fires in the summer if the facilities can’t be checked and adequate awareness among the slum dwellers can’t be developed in this regard.
Fire from slums may also spread to nearby houses posing bigger threats to the city. It is in fact hard to imagine the wounds of slum dwellers when they lose the belongings in fire and become homeless in the open air. Our socio-political system does not bother much about their safety except during election time. But we hold the view that they must have a chance of secured living. It is often alleged that the hand of the wealthy people are at work to set many slums on fire to vacate the land to build new commercial buildings. We suggest that the authorities concerned should think more about slum dwellers safety in next summer.
