Fire hydrants turn helpful to avert further disasters in Chandannath

Bishnu Nepal

Jumla, Dec 8: In the recent past, a fire broke out in a mobile phone shop in Khalanga Bazaar area of Chandannath Municipality–5. After the fire happened in the narrow intersection, the local residents nearby got terrified due to high risk of the fire getting spread in other houses. 

Luckily, a dry riser of a fire hydrant installed in near the mobile phone shop was used to douse the fire with the help of fire fighters from Chandannath Municipality, security officials and volunteers. By bringing fire under control, the bazaar area was saved from serious disasters, local residents recalled.    

Akabar Nath Chhetri, a resident of Chandannath Municipality-5, stated that several houses in the main city area would have been destroyed on that day if there was not the fire hydrant pipeline. "Possible risk was averted and the bazaar area was saved," he recounted.  

With the financial and technical assistance of the Swiss Red Cross, the Urban Preparedness and Emergency Response Promotion Project of the Nepal Red Cross Society Jumla Chapter has helped install the fire hydrants in three wards of the municipality. The fire hydrants have been installed in wards no. 2, 3 and 5 of Chandannath Municipality.   

Likewise, the volunteers have been trained to inform the local community members on how to properly use the fire hydrants.   

Volunteer of Nepal Red Cross Society Lal Bahadur Bhandari stated that the community members have been informed about the emergency disaster response. 

Deputy Mayor of Chandannath Municipality Ramdevi Khadka said that the fire hydrants have been instrumental to extinguish fires in the city area, adding that the Khalanga bazaar is at high risk of fire. 

Under the project, two motorcycles have been kept in a 'ready position' exclusively for the fire fighters. The city police use the motorcycles to reach the spot immediately after the notice of the fire break out.

Installation of the fire hydrants is a successful project initiated in the crowded city areas of Ason, Indrachowk and other areas in the Kathmandu Valley. 

Director of Nepal Red Cross Society Mona Aryal said that fire hydrants were used to control fire in Jumla after the successful intervention in the Kathmandu Valley. 

Meanwhile, the project has helped install a high-tech siren at Ghamdanda in Chandannath Municipality-6 as an early warning system in the municipality. The early warning system is providing messages to the community people on possible risks of disasters and different other issues of common interests.

Information Technology Officer of the municipality, Bikalpa Budha Thapa, said the early warning system has served as a milestone to share information to the people against disasters. "This has helped keep the communities alert," he added. RSS