According to the reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper on July 27, many alleys and alleys in Hanoi such as: Alley 47 Lang Street (Dong Da Ward), Alley 81 Lang Street (Dong Da Ward), Alley 72/158 Nguyen Trai Street (Thanh Xuan Ward) ... are only about 0.5 to 2m wide.
Living in narrow alleys and alleys with cramped living space is already a story, but the dangers of fire and explosion are what make people most insecure. Because with alleys only 0.5 - 2m wide, when a fire occurs, approaching the scene is almost unimaginable for the fire department.
Mr. Pham Do Hung (68 years old, living in Dong Da ward, Hanoi) - a resident who has lived in lane 47 Lang street for more than 60 years - shared: "If we are used to living, we will try to survive, but every time we hear a fire, my whole family will lose sleep. The house is deep inside the alley, and there is no back door to escape. If there was a fire in the middle of the night, I would only know... how to take responsibility".
According to Mr. Hung, in addition to the difficulty of fire trucks accessing, it is also very difficult for people in the small alley to escape. The road is narrow, many houses are built adjacent, there is no escape route, if they do not have time to run out, the risk of getting stuck is very high.
I have lived here for more than 60 years. The house is small, the alley is small, but because it is not qualified to move to another place, it has to be accepted. Every time I see news about a fire, I feel uneasy, just afraid that if something unfortunate happened to me, I won't know where to run," said Mr. Hung.
Similar to Mr. Hung, Mr. Vinh (residing in Dong Da ward, Hanoi) shared: "My family has lived here all their lives. This alley is narrow, fire trucks cannot enter. In the summer it is very hot, in the rainy season it is afraid of flooding. But what I worry about most is... if there is a fire, how can I run?
"Every time I see a fire truck honking at the end of the alley, I feel heartbroken. Because just burning inside is considered a handful, vehicles cannot enter, and it is difficult for people to escape, said Mr. Vinh.
Lawyer Diep Nang Binh - Head of Tinh Thong Luat Law Office (Hanoi Bar Association) - commented that living in a small alley is a consequence of the history of urban development, but we are passive in adapting. It is impossible to demolish or expand the alley en masse, but it is possible to completely re-plan the traffic flow in the alley, create an escape point, install fire bells, fire extinguishers on the spot, and organize periodic drills for people.
To limit small and narrow alleys, it is necessary to stipulate conditions when dividing plots for residential land, ensuring that there is a path over 3m wide and connected to public transport roads. Thus, fire trucks can be used to carry out fire fighting work, proposed lawyer Diep Nang Binh.
According to lawyer Diep Nang Binh, renovating a small alley is not easy in reality. It is related to land ownership rights, compensation costs, site clearance and people's consensus. However, it is impossible to ignore it because it is difficult, because the price to pay when a fire occurs is much higher.
Lawyer Diep Nang Binh said: "Hanoi needs to have a special policy to handle the problem of narrow alleys. It is necessary to mobilize social resources to renovate infrastructure and expand escape routes. At the same time, step up propaganda and encourage people to install fire prevention equipment on the spot, not encroaching on common paths".
