City in critical need of 14,000 water hydrants
JAKARTA (JP): The capital, which sees an average of three fires per day, urgently needs some 14,000 water hydrants and an adequate water distribution network to extinguish all fire cases effectively, an officer said.
Interviewed by The Jakarta Post on Monday, head of the public participation section of the City Fire Agency, Johnny Pangaribuan, said that about 20 percent of the current 1,000 water hydrants placed at several spots in the capital have already been broken by motorists and vandalized by irresponsible residents.
"Worst of all, we don't have adequate funds for maintenance or repairs to damaged hydrants," Johnny explained, adding that a brand new water hydrant costs approximately Rp 3 million (US$315).
The other significant obstacle still faced by the agency is the lack of water supply across the capital.
"The flow of water distributed by PAM (the city-owned drinking water firm) at most locations here is very small.
Since the water is actually aimed for household consumption, when we arrive for a fire and open the available hydrants ... we hardly see any water coming out from the hydrants," he explained.
The only last option, he added, is seeking a nearby river to obtain water, which of course takes extra time to extinguish the fire.
"We have 13 rivers flowing across the city, but most of them are heavily filled with mud and garbage, which hinders water intake," he added.
"In anticipating the lack of water source, the agency usually sends at least four fire engines to the site of a fire.
But it depends on the type of the building or location gutted by the blaze and the size of the fire," said Johnny.
According to the minimum requirements, every 200 square-meter area should be equipped with a water hydrant to anticipate any fire incidents.
Jakarta covers 663 square kilometers.
Johnny said the other problem, which has been a regular headache for his men in performing their duties, are the heavy traffic-jams which always occur in the city's streets.
He added that 75 percent of the 700 to 900 fire cases recorded every year were caused by human errors, such as substandard installations of electrical wires and fixtures.
"Most Jakartans fail to check their wires at home at least once every 10 years, which often causes a short circuit and triggers a fire," Johnny said.
He also warned residents, particularly those living in densely-populated slum areas, to always switch off their stoves after using them.
The city has repeatedly witnessed big fires that have gutted hundreds of houses in such areas, often leaving thousands of poor families homeless and starving.
A fire in April at Karang Anyar subdistrict in Central Jakarta, for instance, razed 93 two-story plywood shanty homes, leaving some 500 people homeless.
Local police said the blaze was possibly caused by a short circuit, and it spread quickly due to the strong wind.
In minimizing the number of fire incidents, the agency has coordinated with the City Housing agency and City Development Supervision agency, as well as the police and state-owned electricity firm, PLN.
"Each building must firstly be provided with a proper electrical installation before the owner can obtain their building permits," said Johnny.
The City Fire Agency, established on March 1, 1919 by the Dutch colonial administration, currently employs 2,300 firefighters and has a total of 150 fire engines equipped with 20-meter-long water hoses.
Each fire engine has the capacity of 4,000 liters of water, which needs 10 to 15 minutes to fill its storage compartment to capacity. "About 500 firefighters are deployed everyday at 80 fire stations across the capital," said Johnny. (07)