Now,a study to save ‘disaster-prone’ city

Four years after the 2005 deluge,which killed over 400 people,Mumbai continues to be at the risk of floods with a high possibility of disaster in future. In fact,it is the third city after Rio De Jeneiro and Shanghai that is most prone to disaster. As a solution,the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation,in collaboration with foreign agencies,will be studying the Mithi basin along with Dadar and Mahim — areas affected by the July 26,2005 deluge — for vulnerable assessment.

The United Nations’ (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently announced Mumbai being at the risk zone for disasters. The IPCC report formulated the list with three parameters — low lying coastal areas,unpredictable rainfall pattern and high tide. The report also mentions that the current situation of Mumbai has made it prone to more flood-like situations in the future.

Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) of the Kyoto University,Japan and the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA),New Delhi,have identified the Mithi river basin and the G/North ward as hotspots for risk and disaster and will be studying these areas for micro-zoning to create sustainable additional knowledge building and crisis management system.

The study will be carried over the next five years. Professor Hirokazu Tatano,who is spearheading the USHE Mumbai Project said,“The main areas that need attention for this project are the Mithi river basin and the city’s G/North ward,which we have been identified as climactic disaster hotspots.”