Mumbai gets lessons in Disaster Management

MUMBAI: Warning that several major cities including Mumbai are ill-equipped in disaster management, experts in a seminar suggested a multi-pronged approach to deal with deficiencies for effective responses to calamities.     

Participating in a week-long session, Mumbai Emergency Management Exercise (MEMEx), the experts said there was a need to move away from relief-centric to prevention-mitigation-preparedness approach in management of disasters.
    
"Earlier, disaster management was seen as a relief-centric exercise. But after the 1993 Latur earthquake, the approach of the State Government changed. Now, we have a prevention-mitigation-preparedness approach to disasters," Maharashtra Government Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Chitkala Zutshi said here.
    
Nearly 250 experts from the State Government are participating in the MEMEx session that began from November 3, which has been organised by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), Hinduja Hospital, Times Centre for Disaster Management and Lifesupporters Institute of Health Science among others.
    
There is a difference between preparedness and response, Wallace Carter of the New York Presbyterian said adding there was a disconnect between pre-healthcare and healthcare services.
    
"Hinduja hospital is willing to provide expertise and knowledge to the State Government in creation of self-financing clinics at important locations like railway stations, bus stops among others to help cope with disasters," Hinduja Hospital Trustee Vinoo Hinduja said.

The Hindujas, who firmly believe that everyone has the god-given right to healthcare and education, are happy to be associated with such a seva-driven cause, she said.
    
Disaster Management requires a multi-disciplinary approach, Mumbai University Vice-Chancellor Vijay Khole said, elaborating on the certificate courses that the University's Times Centre for Disaster Management offers.
    
The Centre was planning to offer a full-fledged diploma in Disaster Management from the next academic session, Khole said.
    
On BRIMSTOWAD, the city's storm water drainage project, which was touted as the solution to prevent a repeat of the disastrous floods that the city witnessed on July 26, 2005, Additional Municipal Commissioner Kishore Gajbhiye said nine out of 20 works in Phase I had been completed and the remaining 11 were in progress. Phase II of the project has 38 works.
    
A four-member committee headed by Hinduja Hospital Medical Director G B Daver has been working towards this end of making the city more disaster-prepared by creation of a call centre providing information on the nearest available healthcare facility, ambulance services among other things and also for creation of a network of hospitals that could be utilised at times of disaster.

International agencies partnering and providing their expertise to MEMEx, being held from November 3 to 9, include New York Presbyterian, The University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, Harvard Humanitarian Institute and Americares.
    
About 13 public and private organisations have partnered to organise the session.
    
Times Foundation, Dial 1298 for Ambulance, Lifeline Foundation, All India Disaster Mitigation Institute, Public Health Foundation of India are some of the other partners.
    
The session to be held mainly at the Kalina campus of the Mumbai University in suburban Mumbai will have a field drill, where participants will have to respond to a disaster-like situation.