A firefighting course in Hà Nội in May. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội needs to invest in more than 10,000 additional fire hydrants across 30 districts, to ensure it can support fire fighting in the capital and be fully equipped for fire prevention.

A survey by the city police showed that Hà Nội needs to invest in nearly 10,200 hydrants, 1,673 water tanks, 848 water collection points and water catchment tanks across 30 districts.

According to the Hà Nội People's Committee, in August 2023, the city asked for a full assessment of activities and tasks in the firefighting water supply system.

It asked the police department to coordinate with relevant units to inspect, review and assess the current state of the firefighting water supply system in the city and propose investments in making improvements.

Based on these results, Hà Nội Police have submitted a report to the city’s People's Committee and related units, asking for a coordinated response from the city in terms of building and investing in a water supply system.

Hà Nội Police are coordinating with the Management Board of Technical Infrastructure and Agricultural Projects and various clean water companies to review and assess the actual volume of water needed, identifying densely populated areas with a high fire risk which need to be prioritised. This will form the basis for advising the city's People's Committee to implement firefighting water projects for 2024 and beyond.

In related news, voters in Hoàn Kiếm District have also requested that Hà Nội consider adding more fire hydrants.

In response to voter requests, Hà Nội has stated that the city currently has nearly 4,000 hydrants managed by the Hà Nội Department of Construction.

The city has approved a pre-feasibility study report for adding more fire hydrants in the district. The report includes a proposal for investing in 675 additional hydrants and 31 water catchment pits across seven districts.

Hoàn Kiếm District will receive 40 hydrants and the city is assigning the Management Board of Technical Infrastructure and Agricultural Projects to coordinate with relevant units to implement the project by the end of this year.

Additionally, Hà Nội has requested that Hoàn Kiếm District consider deploying a firefighting water supply system in alleys and densely populated areas, where fire trucks cannot get access, following a number of serious fatal fires in the city.

In August 2023, a karaoke bar in Cầu Giấy District caught fire, resulting in the deaths of three police officers on duty. In September 2023, an illegally constructed mini apartment building in Thanh Xuân District burned, killing 56 people. In October 2023, a scrap storage house in Thanh Trì District caught fire, resulting in the deaths of a mother and her two children.

In January, a three-storey house, which was also a flower shop in the old quarter of Hoàn Kiếm District, caught fire, killing four family members. On 24 May, a combined boarding house and business in an alley at 43 Trung Kính caught fire, killing 14 people.

Local districts in Hà Nội have proposed some intermediate measures to tackle the problem, advising residents to equip themselves with firefighting knowledge and understand there is a 'best time' to tackle fires if they break out.

In Cầu Giấy District, wall-mounted water hoses are expected to be deployed in residential areas within long and narrow alleys, where fire trucks cannot go. — VNS