India: Habitat houses shield others from fire

A recent fire that blazed through Bawana, a slum relocation colony about 40 km from the Indian capital Delhi, was prevented from causing more extensive damage thanks to Habitat houses.

The fire, which took the life of a three-year-old girl, burnt down 300 temporary shelters made of thatch and polythene sheets. But another 600 temporary huts were spared because two brick and concrete Habitat houses stopped the fire in its destructive trail. The two Habitat houses were not damaged.

When the latest blaze hit Bawana, its residents had barely recovered from the effects of a fire in December 2006 that wiped out more than 280 temporary huts, leaving many families homeless. The fire, reportedly due to a short circuit, destroyed people's means of transportation and livelihood such as scooters and pushcarts. Poultry and other livestock also perished, extinguishing the hope of income generation and food. What little savings some residents had went up in smoke, as did important land title documents.

When staff from the Habitat Resource Centre in Delhi visited Bawana soon after the fire, some resilient residents were starting to rebuild their shelters with salvaged bamboo mats and plastic. Perhaps the sight of the solid Habitat houses will encourage more Bawana residents to partner with Habitat to build simple, safe and decent homes.

The Bawana colony contains 7,000 dwellings of which 29 houses were built by Habitat for Humanity in partnership with Catholic non-governmental organisation Chetanalaya. In a project inaugurated in August 2006, Habitat and Chetanalaya are planning to build 150 houses for former slum dwellers in Bawana.