2 Nov 2018, Kathmandu
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has launched a week-long fire safety awareness programme aims to prevent the possibility of untoward incident(s) due to firecrackers, oil-fed lamps and electric activities during the Tihar festival.
The campaign started under the management of KMC is supported by the office of firefighters in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, the three districts in the Kathmandu Valley, Disaster Management Division at the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and the Nepal Police, Nepal Scout, Red Cross and ward-level disaster management committee. It has the participations of locals as well.
On the occasion, KMC mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya said fire is the human-made disaster and it can be completely controlled. He called on one and all to celebrate the Tihar also known as the ‘festival lights’ with being aware of possibility of fire-caused disasters.
It may be noted that twenty-eight incidents of fire were reported in Tihar last year and Balkhu witnessed the deadly fire which started from an oil-fed lamp. The fire had ended causing 15 cooking gas cylinders to explode and reducing some 40 houses to ashes.
