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BMC ready for high tide with 6-point plan
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) says it’s ready with a contingency plan for two days of high tide crossing the 5-m mark this week (Thursday and Friday) and two other days when the mark would be just under 5 m (Wednesday and Saturday).
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) says it’s ready with a contingency plan for two days of high tide crossing the 5-m mark this week (Thursday and Friday) and two other days when the mark would be just under 5 m (Wednesday and Saturday).
Advisory for citizens
The plan, of course, begins with this. “People must avoid venturing near the sea during the high tide days,” Joint Municipal Commissioner SS Shinde said.
Six new lifeguards were on Tuesday added to the 32 the BMC already has at the city’s beaches.
CCTVs to check water levels
The BMC will use live video feeds from 100 flood-prone locations to monitor the extent of flooding, as high tide accompanied by heavy rain can result in waterlogging.
“This will be done with the help of CCTVs installed by traffic police across the city. Among the spots to be monitored are Milan Subway, Dadar TT and Linking Road,” Shinde said.
This is in addition to the cellphone and walkie-talkie links the BMC will have with its officers at various sites.
Pumps to be monitored
If it starts raining heavily, the 211 water drainage pumps located at 193 spots across the city will be closely monitored to see how much water they have to pump out into the sea.
Navy’s assistance
The BMC has set up its joint operations centre at the naval ship INS Angre stationed along the coastline and set up a hotline to the Navy so that any calls for help can be addressed immediately, Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said.
BEST buses on standby
The BMC will keep some BEST buses on standby in case any of the three railway lines are affected.
Mhaiskar said: “If the Central, Harbour or Western lines are hit, the buses will be brought in to ply on roads corresponding to thee train routes to minimise inconvenience to commuters.”
Radio network
The BMC has also established a VHF radio network with 67 agencies and is connected to 35 weather stations across the city; with the help of this, it can send out warning signals.
