EMI conducts Emergency Management Field Investigation in Mumbai
The Emergency Management (EM) Team recently took part in EMI’s 3rd Field Investigation for the project, “Disaster Risk Reduction in Greater Mumbai” from Sept. 15-19, 2009. The team’s visit was aimed at: 1) investigating, assessing and documenting the current EM structures and operations in the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and their relationship to national and state government organizations; 2) evaluating the existing capabilities and resources of the MCGM Disaster Management Unit (DMU); and 3) providing training in international EM best practices.
Emergency and disaster management experts, Ms. Deborah Steffen and Mr. James Buika, together with EMI’s local coordinator, Ms. Sweta Priyadarshini, conducted interviews with key officials of the DMU, Mumbai Fire Brigade and Police, and the India Meteorological Department. The EM Team also inspected one of Mumbai’s major medical centers, the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, as well as the Lovegrove Pumping Station, the city’s main wastewater treatment plant. They also visited D Ward, a low-lying, flood-prone area adjacent to the pumping station to get a sense of how disaster management is handled at the ward level.
Ms. Steffen and Mr. Buika likewise conducted two separate training sessions for the EM Focus Group and DMU staff to enhance their knowledge and skills in organizing an Emergency Operations Center using international best practice known as the Incident Command System as a benchmark.
As a result of the field investigation, the EM team now has a clearer understanding of the roles and functions of the organizations responsible for disaster management and emergency response in the city, the strengths and limitations of each agency, and the linkages between these local bodies and higher sub-national or national authorities. The information gathered during this visit will provide key inputs to the EM Framework Report that will be submitted to MCGM and the Action Plan to be developed for the Project’s EM Component.
Related links:
Disaster Risk Reduction in Mumbai Project Website
Emergency and disaster management experts, Ms. Deborah Steffen and Mr. James Buika, together with EMI’s local coordinator, Ms. Sweta Priyadarshini, conducted interviews with key officials of the DMU, Mumbai Fire Brigade and Police, and the India Meteorological Department. The EM Team also inspected one of Mumbai’s major medical centers, the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, as well as the Lovegrove Pumping Station, the city’s main wastewater treatment plant. They also visited D Ward, a low-lying, flood-prone area adjacent to the pumping station to get a sense of how disaster management is handled at the ward level.
Ms. Steffen and Mr. Buika likewise conducted two separate training sessions for the EM Focus Group and DMU staff to enhance their knowledge and skills in organizing an Emergency Operations Center using international best practice known as the Incident Command System as a benchmark.
As a result of the field investigation, the EM team now has a clearer understanding of the roles and functions of the organizations responsible for disaster management and emergency response in the city, the strengths and limitations of each agency, and the linkages between these local bodies and higher sub-national or national authorities. The information gathered during this visit will provide key inputs to the EM Framework Report that will be submitted to MCGM and the Action Plan to be developed for the Project’s EM Component.
Related links:
Disaster Risk Reduction in Mumbai Project Website
