The other side of growth: Mills to malls caught in a tinder trap

The second part of the series revolves around Mumbai being vulnerable to fire incidents because of overcrowding and the high cost of robust fire protection equipment

- AMRITHA PILLAY

Twenty-four hours after a fire broke out at a chemical unit in Dombivli, on the outskirts of Mumbai, a charred, chemical stench hangs in the air. The unit, which belongs to Indo Amines, an industrial chemical manufacturer, stands amidst several other factories, commercial establishments and a school, all within a radius of 500 metres.

This is the third major industrial fire incident reported in the city in less than a month. The firm, with a market capitalisation of about 900 crore, has informed the exchanges that the reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Stakeholders in the fire safety space point out that there is a common set of reasons for fire mishaps in Mumbai: electrical faults, the relentless growth of the city, congestion, mis-segregation of materials, and the costs involved for putting in robust fire safety equipment. The industrial fires are in addition to the fire mishaps that occur in residential areas and non-industrial commercial establishments.

The Indo Amines unit is located in Dombivli's Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area. Last month, 10 people died in a similar chemical factory fire in the same industrial area.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), estimated to be spread over 6,300 sqkm, is home to several industrial areas, and many of them report minor fire incidents regularly.

A common lament among those struggling to manage the fire incidents is the continuous commercial growth of the city, which leads to over-crowding. Santosh Warick, director, Maharashtra Fire Services, pointed out that although the Fire Act operates in Maharashtra, it was put in place only in 2008, and many of the establishments came up much before that.