80% of Delhi unplanned, fire preparedness ‘average’: Chief Fire Officer
Delhi Fire Services Chief A.K. Malik stated that 80% of the city is unplanned and only 5% of buildings possess valid occupancy certificates. The department faces severe resource shortages, with plans to significantly increase the number of firefighters and stations over the next five years to address rising fire risks.
Why it matters
The report exposes critical infrastructure and safety vulnerabilities in Delhi, highlighting the challenges of urban planning and emergency preparedness in a rapidly growing city.
Around 80% of Delhi is unplanned and only about 5% of its buildings have Occupancy Certificates, Delhi Fire Services Chief Fire Officer A.K. Malik said on Tuesday, underlining the scale of the city’s fire-safety challenges.
In an interaction with T he Hindu, Mr. Malik described Delhi’s fire preparedness as “average”, saying its fire risks had grown faster than its capacity to prevent and respond to them. Unplanned construction, poor compliance with building by-laws, congested roads and changing fire risks were among the biggest challenges.
Delhi has more than 1,000 unauthorised colonies, and much of the construction in the city has not followed building by-laws introduced in 1957 and revised in 1983 and 2016. “Buildings in unplanned areas often do not come before the building authorities for approval and, consequently, do not reach the Fire Department for the required fire-safety clearances,” Mr. Malik said.
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