Mumbai civic body wants to train its employees and citizens in tackling disaster from end of July

Mumbai city news: The course will train those interested fire safety, chemical and nuclear disaster and climate change and will also give pointers in how to get buildings in line with the disaster management plan.

Mumbai: The much-delayed disaster management course of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will be open for citizens from the end of July.

The course was conceptualised in 2009 but had not been implemented over the years. This time, the BMC will train 40 students in disaster management, fire safety, industrial safety, chemical, biological, radio-active and nuclear disaster, and climate change, among others. (HT)

The course will train those interested fire safety, chemical and nuclear disaster and climate change and will also give pointers in how to get buildings in line with the disaster management plan.

The BMC has planned the one-year part time diploma in association with Mumbai University and it will be held at the City Institute of Disaster Management in Parel, senior civic officials said.

The course was conceptualised in 2009 but had not been implemented over the years. This time, the BMC will train 40 students in disaster management, fire safety, industrial safety, chemical, biological, radio-active and nuclear disaster, and climate change, among others.

According to officials, the first batch includes employees from BMC. The course is, however, open for citizens keen on learning how to tackle disaster. While the course is free for BMC officials and the fire brigade, citizens will be charged Rs 50,000 for the course, at the end of which they will also be given a certificate accorded by the university.

A BMC official said, “Every building in the city requires a disaster management plan, that is the ultimate goal. We are working towards it through such initiatives.”

Disasters like wall collapse, tree collapse, landslides and house collapse plagues the city during monsoon. Earlier, HT had reported how 199 trees were uprooted in a span of four days. In 2015, the Mumbai fire brigade had also initiated a fire safety volunteer programme, where they started training citizens and societies to be the first responders in an emergency before the fire brigade arrived at the spot.