KMC installs dry riser systems in narrow streets for fire safety
The installation is being carried out to address fire emergencies in areas with narrow roads and lanes that fire engines cannot access.
KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has started installing dry riser systems in narrow streets where fire engines cannot reach.
The installation is being carried out to address fire emergencies in areas with narrow roads and lanes that fire engines cannot access.
The Department of Disaster Management, under the central government, is leading the installation.
Additionally, local wards are also installing this system using their own budgets in areas not covered by central plans.
In the central government’s planned projects, pipes have been installed in the following areas: 82 meters in Ward 3’s Tunnel Lane, 207 meters in Ward 7’s Kuti Lane, and 228.20 meters in Ward 6’s Sangam Tole.
Ward 10 has installed the system in five lanes: 225 meters in Mangal Lane, 120 meters in Mulmi Lane, 200 meters in Ghanti Lane, 25 meters in Tindhara Lane, and 172 meters in Kalakar Lane.
In Ward 15, a 373-meter pipe has been installed in Jagdol Tol, Annapurna Chowk, and in Ward 16, 167.80 meters of pipe has been laid in Fulbari Lane and 252.55 meters in Bagaincha Lane.
In Ward 17, pipes have been installed in Kaladhara Lane (253.20 meters), Jogipakha Marg (49.80 meters), and Jyapu Marg (174.20 meters), according to the Department of Disaster Management.
Fire control officers from the Juddha Fire Unit are currently testing the systems in these areas.
Last year, the system was tested in Ward 21 along the Hyumat Karunamaya Marg to Dalachi Ganesh place, where 130 meters of pipe were installed, costing around 800,000 rupees. The system has also been installed along Kaliyochok Marg in Ward 29 and along the Meat Lane to Mahabouddh in Ward 25.
The dry riser system is a pipeline placed in narrow streets and lanes to be used during fires. If water continuously flows through the pipe, it is known as a wet riser.
The dry riser system is fitted with an inlet valve at both ends, and outlets are installed every 45 to 75 meters along the pipeline. When water is pumped into the inlet by a fire engine, water can be accessed from any outlet along the pipe. The water is then delivered using a delivery hose to control the fire.
When the fire engine pumps water at a pressure of 8 bars, the water can reach high-rise buildings up to 7 stories to control fires.
