Attachments
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
In recent years, Nepal has witnessed a distinct surge in fire incidents, particularly during the dry seasons. Such escalation has notably increased fatalities, injuries, and property loss mostly in urban areas.
As the most urbanized city in the country, the Kathmandu is highly susceptible to the fire hazards. Expanded over 902 square kilometers, the valley is home to over six million people and includes two metropolitan cities, sixteen municipalities, and three rural municipalities. Last year alone, the valley experienced 54 fire incidents. Those fires claimed the lives of five individuals whereas injured sixteen. Among them, thirty-five were household fires, twelve were the fires in small businesses, and seven were the industrial fires.
As illustrated by the health reports, such ramifications of urban fires has extend beyond human and physical losses, adversely impacting the biodiversity and environment and contribute to the human health problems. Unfortunately, on April 4 this year, the Kathmandu ranked the second most polluted city in the world.3 Due to such reason, in recent years cases of pneumonia, bronchitis, conjunctivitis, skin allergies, strokes, and heart problems have been surged in the hospitals and health centers of the Kathmandu valley.
The Victory Lounge fire of 2019, the Ujjal Petrol Pump fire in 2020, the One World Shoe factory fire in 2022, a furniture factory fire in Kageshwori Manahara in 2023, and the recent fire at APF Warehouse Balumbu are some notable fire incidents that occurred in Kathmandu, illustrating how deadly such incidents can be. Additionally, the fire that broke out in Elite Exped’s office in Kapan on September 21, 2022, was the deadliest, killing three people and injuring several others. It took more than four hours for more than dozen fire engines to suppress the fire, which involved hazardous materials.