Dhaka College pond was a lifesaver
A pond in Dhaka College, located in close proximity to the New Super Market building that caught on fire early Saturday, came in super handy for firefighters as finding a close source of water has long been a challenge in times of fire in the capital.
Dhaka has seen a spike in fire incidents in the past few months and after every major incident, firefighters talk about the shortage of water (water reservoirs) in fire locations.
This is the second major fire incident at a market in the capital in less than two weeks. A deadly fire burned the Bangabazar Shopping Complex to the ground on 4 April.
To contain the fire in Bangabazar, water had to be brought from Hatirjheel by helicopter. The pond in front of the Shahidullah Hall at Dhaka University also played a major role in that incident.
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Water reservoirs or ponds are gradually diminishing in the capital. The importance of these reservoirs comes to the fore whenever there is a fire disaster.
According to the statistics of the Fisheries Department, there were about 2,000 ponds in Dhaka in 1985, which now came down to about 100 only.
When the fire broke out in the New Super Market around 5:50 am, the firefighters were given quick access to pull water from the pond of Dhaka College using 18 water pumps.
According to Fire Service officials, the fire could have caused more damage if there had not been a water reservoir nearby.
Abu Musa, a firefighter, told The Business Standard (TBS), "We have to face major hurdles to put out the fire if we cannot find any water reservoir near the place of fire."
Water is also collected from the area on the south side of New Market and from the pond in Eden Mahila College and Azimpur Govt Officer's Quarter, Fire Service officials said.
According to a study, conducted by the Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) a few years ago on Dhaka's ponds, more than 10,000 hectares of wetlands, canals and lowlands in Dhaka have disappeared in the last three and a half decades. If this trend of reservoir filling continues, it is feared that by 2031, the number of reservoirs and lowlands in Dhaka will fall below 10% of the total area.
Adil Mohammed Khan, a town planner and the executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), told TBS, "Most of the ponds that existed in Dhaka two decades ago have disappeared. The government has done nothing but legislation to protect water bodies. We are interested in big projects, less about the environment. The government should be more proactive in protecting water bodies."
