The day for paying respect to the mother tongue has been overshadowed by the grotesque accident in Chawkbazar, where a blaze has killed at least 70 people.
In a matter of four days, this is the second fire-related accident to jolt the nations with the previous one being the slum fire in port city of Chattogram, which claimed eight lives and gutted 200 homes, devastating livelihoods of hundreds of people from the lower income strata.
Incidentally, just a day before the Chawkbazar carnage, the Dhaka South City mayor declared that the licenses of all establishments that store flammable chemicals would be revoked.
Sadly, merely 24 hours later, the heart of Old Dhaka became the spot of another horrific event that reminds us of the constant hazards with which we are living.
Obviously, such accidents seriously dent the image of Dhaka, which already has the dubious distinction of being one of the worst places to live in.
Such loss of lives cannot be accepted in anyway; but once more, this event in Old Dhaka brings to the fore the grave dangers that exist in the densely populated part of town.
Old Dhaka is a death trap: Please admit it!
Despite tales of gastronomic exuberance that are linked to Old Dhaka plus the fascination surrounding its crumbling allure, the truth is at every step, there is a death trap in old part of the city. Either there is an open sewerage line where a pedestrian may fall, or uneven road pavements creating challenges for users or,low electric wires that are perilously close to people walking on the road.
Many roads do not have fluorescent signs to warn a motor bike rider or a car driver of a ditch ahead. In case of fire, those locked in multi- storied buildings are often left at the mercy of their fate.
In the Chawkbazaar fire, a pregnant woman and her husband could not come down because the building in which they were living did not have any fire or emergency exit.
In monsoon, the roads often go under water increasing the possibility of accidents. Add to this the conversion of many old houses into small chemical storing warehouses plus the reckless use of gas cylinders.
In a matter of four days, two tragedies occurred and both have been attributed to exploding gas cylinders. At the Chattogram slum, residents did not have gas connection and, therefore, relied on cylinders; similarly, in Chawkbazar, a cylinder on a pick-up van reportedly blew up and triggered the fire.
In both cases, the fire spread fast. In Chattogram, there were other cylinders which burst and, in Dhaka, the fire touched the flammable chemicals stored in nearby homes.
A massive safety drive in Old Dhaka needed, now!
Nine years ago, there was another carnage in Old Dhaka’s Nimtali — just half a kilometer away from Chawkbazar, when more than one hundred people perished; at that time, the need to take some drastic measures to improve safety in Old Dhaka was underlined.
Unfortunately, many houses still store incendiary products, while fire drills are unheard of. The chief of Fire Service and Civil Defence said that it was particularly challenging to tame the flames because the roads are narrow. On top, none of these buildings, which were affected by the fire, had basic fire-fighting equipment like extinguishers, sand or axes.
Since Old Dhaka is congested, there should have been a roof to roof fire emergency pathway that can be folded in normal times and opened up during emergency. If this simple measure had been present, those who were caught in buildings could have averted death.
Several restaurants were hit by the flames and though the shutters were brought down, people taking shelter inside were not spared. They either died of suffocation or due to fire exploding the cooking gas cylinders.
The usage of gas cylinders for cooking is now rampant but there isn’t any safety method which can be used to render these harmless in a situation of danger. Some are so crudely made that at the slightest provocation they can trigger catastrophe.
The bottom line is the old part of Dhaka must undergo a comprehensive fire safety operation. This will include, fire extinguishers in all old buildings, placed either at the expense of the landlord or by a collective payment from all tenants.
Every intersection (at least major ones) should have a small fire station manned by two to three persons and basic safety items. This may be done by the fire department and paid for by the local ward councillor’s office.
In the end, the locals have to be aware of the dangers that the cramped part of the city poses. Since the alleys are narrow, fire service vehicle cannot enter, which was felt during the 2010 Nimtali blaze.
In such cases, it’s the responsibility of the people who stay there or run businesses to come up with basic safety measures so fire accidents plus other mishaps can be subdued before they become bigger.
Since many buildings are closely constructed, a roof top safe evacuation strategy can also be looked into.
Like I stated earlier, Old Dhaka is a death trap with danger lurking in every corner; sometimes, in our effort to downplay the hazards, we glorify and exalt the lack of safety as an exciting challenge.
When so many dead bodies are lying in the morgue, the slipshod safety attitude in Old Dhaka ceases to be an adventure.
The apathy towards safety can be tackled when fire drills are held. I am certain the area which experienced the recent accident never had a single emergency exercise.
The blame lies on the hoarders of chemicals but the authorities cannot evade responsibility either. It’s up to them to ensure safety drills and chalk out evacuation plans.
Chawkbazaar plus the Chattogram slum fire incidents should trigger immediate action.
Government has declared support but it should also form a body to take some visible and effective steps in Old Dhaka to improve fire safety. As a first step, all shops, restaurants and warehouses must be forced to buy and install extinguishers.

Towheed Feroze is a news editor at Bangla Tribune and teaches at the University of Dhaka.