Is Mumbai prepared to survive a disaster?

You cannot predict disasters or calamities, but you can be prepared for the worst and this can help save a lot of lives. The city has seen many such unfortunate events that have resulted in the loss of precious lives and property. With the threat of terrorism looming on the horizon — security forces have upped the ante but even if preventive measures are in place, we have to prepare for the worst. The city and the state have witnessed many natural disasters too, only being prepared for such calamities can bring down the casualty rate.                                     

On December 25, 2010, National Cadet Corps (NCC) had started a nine-day camp for 1,200 cadets. It will train them to manage disasters. The module includes handling situation like fires, flood, bomb-blasts, terrorist attacks, stampedes, building collapses, earthquakes etc.  “Disaster management, a concept widely practiced in West, is in its nascent stages in India. The sate of Maharashtra is one of the few states which has taken this up in a very effective way. Such training can be stated as the degree of preparedness to respond to any disaster. But such training module should not be confined to just NCC cadets; civilians should also be educated on the simple things that they can do if any unfortunate incident occurs. Many of them don’t even know about the important helpline numbers,” said Brigadier PC Roy
Mumbai is over-populated with a density of 22,922 people per sq km. Hence, in case of any calamity a lot of lives can be lost.  Gopal Gupta, a media professional, was stuck for seven to eight hours during the July 26 flood in 2005. He felt helpless because he was unable to contact anyone and had no means of getting home. “I don’t know about any emergency helpline numbers that are available in the city. I was stuck for hours and could not do anything else,” said Gupta, a Bandra resident.

Even on July 11, 2006 when the city was rocked by the serial blasts many people were panicking because they didn’t know what to do and how to find out their relatives’ information. “I was just out side the station when I heard an explosion. The panic I saw on the road and at the station was uncontrollable. Most of people were in panicking because the rescue operation was inadequate, says Anup Sinha, a manager from Mira Road. He added, “None of the phones were working, I did not know who to call. I was forced to walk till Borivli. But I was not alone, many people shared my fate.”

Recently when fire broke out at Dadar station it was difficult for commuter to get the space to move out easily.

Stations in the city are unequipped to deal with any disasters “In the city there is hardly any preparation to tackle any disaster. Especially near the station there is no arrangement for evacuation when something happens. Hawker encroachments have taken up all the space around stations. There are no ambulances near the station that can immediately come and help any victims. Even for the earthquake there is no open space or safe evacuation path that can save people from a disaster,” said Jagdeep Desai, an urban planner.

“The city is not planned keeping disaster management in mind. For instance at toll nakas, people cannot be evacuated immediately with that narrow lanes. We don’t have regular awareness programmes for people to recall helpline numbers,” added Desai.

Though there are regulations to have earthquake-proof buildings in the city, there are other factors that need to be considered too.

According to Desai, “As the city is always on high alert because of terrorist attacks, it would be better if we secure our transportation system.”

At the time of emergency or any disaster, the we need adequate number of medical facilities to cater to the injured. Is city equipped with enough hospitals, doctors, and other amenities required during an emergency?  “In Mumbai, emergency medical services are not up to the mark. According to World Health Organisation, there should be at least one bed for 500 people but in the city it is around 1,000 people per bed in public sector hospitals. Public sector hospital is not found in all areas. For instance South Mumbai has many hospitals but areas in the suburbs like Jogeshwari, Mira Road etc. have no public sector hospitals. The city doesn’t even have ambulances to cater to such a huge population,” said Ravi Duggal, health activist.

So it is best to be prepared, we need good infrastructure and other supporting facilities to ensure that disasters can be managed effectively.