The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi Metro well-prepared for any exigency

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 08, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi Metro well-prepared for any exigency

Staff Reporter

Latest technology and evacuation-friendly design makes it much safer than others across the world

HEIGHTENED VIGIL: Security personnel leaving nothing to chance at an underground Delhi Metro station after a high security alert was declared on Thursday. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan

NEW DELHI: Keeping in view the fact that Metro systems are vulnerable to terrorist attacks across the globe -- as was witnessed in London on Thursday -- the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has incorporated emergency evacuation and fire safety training as two compulsory subjects for all its employees. Also, the Corporation has prepared a six-minute evacuation plan under which the employees have been trained to lead all the people out of the Metro premises within the timeframe in an emergency.

Metro officials say that during the course of their training, all the staff members, be they engineers, assistants, operators or officials, are trained in emergency procedures and in use of fire-fighting equipment. These are both subjects that are taught in detail and are compulsory for all.

And then when the personnel are posted in a given area, they are provided in-depth knowledge about the geography of the place and the exits so that they are able to leave it quickly in an emergency. Also, when something goes wrong, each personnel has a specific job to perform so that the evacuation takes place properly. "The main idea is to start the flow of movement of people in the right direction as that facilitates the rest of the evacuation work."

To check the efficacy of the system, DMRC also conducts mock drills in association with the Delhi police and the Delhi Fire Service. But while the training and drill are carried out to improve the response of the personnel in an exigency, what makes the Delhi Metro system safer than others across the world and more evacuation-friendly is its design and the use of ultramodern technology. The stations have been designed in such a way that in an emergency or explosion people can be evacuated from either side of the platforms. And with the signs connected to all the four major power sources, there is little chance that people would find themselves in complete dark at the stations, no matter how powerful a fire or explosion there may be.

The design feature of the Metro is also such that it automatically takes into account all emergency needs. So the Delhi Metro stations have taken into account any emergency situation since in the event of a fire or mishap the actual evacuation would not only involve the people on the platforms, but also the trainload of two directions.

Then along the tracks there are evacuation walkways on which the passengers can be made to walk if something happens on a train. In the underground section, at around every 230 metres there are cross-passages to lead people from one tunnel to the other. Also, there are fire doors in between which prevent smoke from entering the other tunnel and at the same time provide a safe passage to escape.

The underground sections also have dedicated fireman's entrances which are pressurised to maintain a smoke-free environment and emergency pressurised staircases which keep out smoke. Then there are smoke control systems which can withstand heat of up to 250 degrees Celsius for up to two hours and provide smoke-free paths.

The most important feature in the Delhi Metro which can prove critical in an emergency is the role of high-speed reversible flow fans. Capable of directing the air in any desired direction, they suck out air near the tracks that gets heated due to braking of trains. In the event of a fire or explosion in a tunnel, the direction of the air flow can be controlled through the reversible flow fans to prevent the smoke from moving towards people being evacuated. The fire suppression system of the Delhi Metro is also unique and provides for filling up of inert gases in the main technical and control rooms in case of a fire. Along with the water sprinkling system, the gases ensure that the fire does not spread.

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