Having recently won accolades for its rescue work during the tsunami in Japan, teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are all set to head to Mumbai from Pune to safeguard the city during the monsoon.
The NDRF had been of great support to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) last year. It is now in talks with the civic body once again to return to the city’s rescue. “The monsoon review meeting is due soon. We will have a final schedule then. If all goes well, we will come to Mumbai by the second week of June,” said assistant commandant, NDRF, (western unit-Pune), Sanjay Tyagi.
With the advent of the monsoon, three to four teams, comprising 45 members each, will be positioned at vulnerable points across the city to have the advantage of time in case of an emergency. The teams, known for their specialised response to natural and man-made disasters, will have all the essential equipment like life-saving jackets, inflatable boats, life lines, deep-diving suits, various types of cutters for trees and metallic objects, casualty sensors, water and night cameras, and hi-tech equipment for building collapses.
“Even the navy has just two or three deep-diving sets. However, we are the proud owners of 15, with the help of which the deep divers can not only go as deep as 80-100m for search and rescue but also remain in touch with the team members above,” said Tyagi.
Another piece of equipment the city can look forward to is the victim locating camera (VLC), which can peep into high-rise buildings and under debris to locate people. A microphone is attached to this camera, making it possible to speak to those trapped.
Apart from the VLCs, the NDRF will also have life detectors to detect the living. The NDRF will also carry the integrated monitoring system, which specialises in detecting chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear elements.
The NDRF personnel will also train communities around the vulnerable zones in using household objects to make rafts or speed boats.
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