BMC launches Mumbai Coastal Road tunnel safety awareness drive after car fire

The car that caught fire in the Coastal Road tunnel is towed away on Wednesday. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A day after a car caught fire in the southbound Coastal Road tunnel causing panic among commuters, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) started an awareness campaign on Thursday, highlighting in detail for the first time in two years since the Coastal Road became operational in March 2024, protocols, safety measures, and details about how to get help and behave inside the tunnel in case of an emergency event (fire, blast, or waterlogging).

Emergency guidelines

On Thursday, the BMC issued a 12-point list of guidelines for Mumbaikars, following an analysis of the lessons learnt from Wednesday's fire incident. The guideline follows the availability of six measures inside the tunnel to ensure commute safety, including a Public Address System (PAS), cross passages at every 300 metres which can act as escape routes in case of a disaster, availability fire extinguishers due to lack of immediate fire safety measures such as sprinklers, display of telephone systems at every 100 metres to ask for help, CCTV cameras for monitoring smoke, a rise in temperature, and any other anomaly. These systems are monitored by a control room that operates round the clock.

Campaign timeframe

A screengrab from a video shows the car ablaze on Wednesday. PIC/PTI

According to information from BMC, the campaign does not include a timeframe and will be carried out in a periodic manner through various information dissemination channels, such as social media, print media, advertisements, and even the PAS for leisurely commuters (those walking the promenade).

Issues observed and lessons learnt

>> Commuters abandoned vehicles inside tunnel, taking car keys with them and inadvertently blocking fire brigade access. Had commuters left their keys behind it would have been easy for first responders to make way for Mumbai
Fire Brigade

>> Commuters panicked, ran to nearest exit which was at least 700 metres away, on foot. Instead, they should
have listened to instructions on the PAS and taken the nearest cross tunnel exit to reach other arm of tunnel

>> Commuters allege there was no signage with helpline numbers and an exit plan in the tunnel. However, signage exists at periodic distances with the helpline number

What campaign emphasises…

>> Stop vehicle safely; switch off engine
>> Leave key inside vehicle
>> There is an emergency telephone every 100 metres to contact control room
>> Stay calm; listen carefully to announcements and instructions on PAS
>> Follow the directional arrows on tunnel walls to reach the nearest cross passage, provided every 300 metres; six such passages exist
>> Open cross passage door using panic bar and move safely into adjacent tunnel; wait for instructions and don't panic

Official Speak

A BMC official
‘A detailed assessment was done of what went wrong and what worked from a fire safety viewpoint. We realised that panic among commuters was the main issue. We have decided to start an awareness campaign to help Coastal Road users understand what to do during an emergency. This also makes our job easier, as we can access the accident site easily. Fire is not the only concern in the Coastal Road tunnels - there are several others, which include pile-up accidents or a blast (considering an EV vehicle can also catch fire).

With inputs from Madhulika Ram Kavattur and Sarthak Mehta