The narrow lanes in Pali Gaothan have never felt more cramped to residents, who fear what will happen if their neighbourhood is hit by the spate of fires that have broken out in the city in the past month. With limited access to fire engines, and no working fire hydrant around, it's a recipe for disaster. But the BMC is now working on a fire-fighting plan for the area that could end up working for gaothans across the city.

Pali village, like other gaothans across Mumbai, comprises mostly wooden houses that are packed together tightly, leaving no room for large fire brigade vehicles to pass. Because of the fire risk this poses, the Afzalpurkar committee report (commissioned by the state's housing department in the 1990s) recommended that gaothans be equipped with fire hydrants.