KAPILVASTU, April 11: With the onset of the windy season, incidents of fire have increased in Kapilvastu. During the wheat harvesting period, fires have broken out in wheat fields, causing farmers to lose crops worth hundreds of thousands of rupees. However, locals have complained that due to a lack of fire engines, the fires could not be controlled in time.
Out of the 10 local units in Kapilvastu, six do not have fire engines. Only Kapilvastu, Banganga, Shivaraj, and Krishnanagar municipalities are equipped with fire engines. Buddhabhumi and Maharajgunj municipalities, as well as Yashodhara, Mayadevi, Bijaynagar, and Suddhodhan Rural Municipalities, lack firefighting equipment.
Since the beginning of the summer season, the police have reported a rise in fire incidents particularly in Bijaynagar, Suddhodan, and Yashodhara rural municipalities.
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Kapilvastu Municipality’s fire truck driver, Maisad Pathan, stated that there has been a rise in fire incidents over the past week in Suddhodan, Mayadevi, and Yashodhara rural municipalities. He mentioned that the fire truck from Kapilvastu Municipality has had to provide services not only within its own area but also in Yashodhara, Mayadevi, Suddhodan rural municipalities, as well as Maharajgunj and Buddhabhumi municipalities.
Due to the increasing number of fire incidents, it has become very difficult to reach the sites on time, said the driver. With fire an outbreak occurring almost daily, the only fire engine of Kapilvastu Municipality is now overwhelmed and struggling to keep up. As the windy season begins, fire incidents continue to rise rapidly. Fire truck driver Pathan said that the daily fire incidents have left them overwhelmed. “When we’re responding to one place, we get calls from another. That makes it very difficult to reach the incident site on time,” he said, “No one understands our limitations—they often blame us for being irresponsible.” He added that if the fire occurs nearby, the fire engine can reach quickly, but if it’s far, getting there in time becomes a real challenge.
He mentioned that he made every effort to extinguish the fire in the wheat fields of Sisahaniya and Murphutwan in Suddhodan Rural Municipality. However, reaching the stipulated location took some time, which caused some difficulties. In the past week alone, fire incidents in Suddhodan, Yashodhara, Krishnanagar, and Bijaynagar municipalities in Kapilvastu have resulted in the destruction of wheat crops worth over Rs 3 million.
In Bijaynagar, fire incidents at two locations within 15 days have resulted in the destruction of property worth over Rs 2 million. According to the District Police Office, since the start of the summer season, more than a dozen fire incidents have occurred in various places in Kapilvastu.
Kapilvastu Municipality has stated that operating the fire engine has been challenging. The municipality’s accounting officer, Balram Neaupane, said that it is difficult to run the fire engine due to issues with staff salaries, fuel, and maintenance, despite it being an essential service. He also mentioned that neighboring municipalities should contribute funds for the operation of the fire engine. While the government provides grants for purchasing fire engines, there is a lack of urgency to make the purchase. On the other hand, Buddhabhumi Municipality has stated that it has initiated the necessary procedures for acquiring a fire engine.
The Chief of the District Coordination Committee, Babu Ram Acharya, stated that all municipalities should make arrangements for fire engines. He said that this issue has been repeatedly raised in disaster management committee discussions, and municipal chiefs have shown commitment to purchasing fire engines. He further emphasized that he would again urge the six municipalities without fire engines to purchase them.
