Slums: Scrap collected for livelihood a fire trap

The residents of slums on both sides of the old Mumbai-Pune highway in Wakdewadi collect scrap and metal waste. They pile up the collection in and around their slums and also on the roads congesting traffic further in an area that has heavy vehicular movement.

If there is a fire,the narrow bylanes of the congested slums would make it tough for fire tenders to reach the huts. “The area has become congested and the lives of many are at risk. If there is a fire in the slum or in piled up scrap,it would be impossible for the fire brigade to reach the huts,” says Rajendra Joshi,president of the slumdwellers association.

The slums are close to the river and below the low-line,he says adding that flooding is common in monsoon. “Flooding is a problem during monsoon but there is a constant fear of fire accidents as it would lead to serious damage,” he adds.

The slums have railway lines on one side and the river on the other and there is scarcely any open space for residents to run for safety in case an emergency situation arises. Aman Shinde,a scrap dealer in the area,says that he was aware of the dangers from collection of scrap but there is no other livelihood option he can think of.

“The PMC should rehabilitate us and provide us with a suitable place for our business,” he says adding that the civic body had proposed slum rehabilitation projects but a few residents had been opposing it.

Fire department officials also term the situation as serious. If anything goes wrong,then there will be huge damage as it would be difficult to carry out rescue operations in the congested slums. “It would be difficult for any rescue team to reach slum interiors as there is no space,” said a fire official,on the condition of anonymity.

The piling of scrap on the roads is also creating traffic problems. Medical representative Vijay Bote,who takes the route to the office everyday,says scrap piled on the road has reduced free space. “Many vehicles are parked on the road and the situation leads to traffic jams. It takes 15 minutes to cross the 1 kilometre stretch through the slums,” he said.