MARGAO: This may sound strange but the ground reality is that the fire hydrants in the Margao’s New Market owned by Margao Municipal Council (MMC) have been rendered non-functional on account of insufficient water pressure.
The lack of a dedicated water tank and the non-functional fire hydrants pose a potential risk to the safety of nearly 400-odd shops, especially during emergencies. It’s crucial for local authorities, such as the Margao Municipal Council, to prioritise and address this infrastructure issue promptly.
However, it is learnt the traders in the New Market and the personnel of the Fire and Emergency Services are putting in efforts to address the issue.
Fire and Emergency Services at Margao has emphasised the critical need to revive the defunct fire hydrant system in the market. The challenges posed by congested roads around the market make it essential to have the fire hydrant system functioning which can provide quick and efficient access to water for fire-fighting operations.
The traders raised concerns about the priorities of the civic body in the market. The focus on levying taxes without taking adequate measures to address crucial issues, such as the defunct fire hydrant system and the delayed construction of a dedicated water tank for emergency fire-fighting, is troubling them.
Speaking to O Heraldo, New Market Traders Association president Vinod Shirodkar’s statement sheds light on the persistent efforts of the association to address the water pressure issue through the construction of a dedicated water tank.
The acknowledgment that these efforts have been in vain reflects the challenges the traders have been facing in getting the Margao Municipal Council to initiate action on this crucial issue.
“The occurrence of four to five fire incidents in New Market without the implementation of a dedicated water tank underscores the urgency of addressing the infrastructure shortcomings,” he stated.
Gil Souza, Fire Officer said that the lack of water pressure not only affects the functionality of the fire hydrants but also poses a significant risk during emergencies.
He informed that two fire hydrants; one at Margao Police Station and another at Gomant Vidya Niketan have limited water pressure but can be useful during emergency, however, the fire hydrants in the market have been rendered totally defunct for want of water pressure.
However, Margao Municipal Council chairperson Damodar Shirodkar said the issue pertaining to water pressure needs to be resolved by the Public Works Department.
“Yes, the civic body will follow up the matter with the PWD officer,” he assured. He admitted that the failure to construct the proposed water tank in the market area has added many more problems to the already existing issue of fire hydrants being rendered defunct.
