Rain planning begins

With the Meteorological department predicting a good and early monsoon this year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the fire brigade are working to prepare for the emergencies that come with every monsoon.

With the Meteorological department predicting a good and early monsoon this year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the fire brigade are working to prepare for the emergencies that come with every monsoon.

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The fire brigade will train 50 newly inducted personnel in rescue operations, swimming, handling a range of equipment, and first aid. The training is scheduled from May 10 to May 15 at the Mafatlal swimming pool at Girgaum Chowpatty.

“We already have 150 officers who can be posted in low-lying areas during the monsoon. Having another 50 will be useful in emergencies,” said Chief Fire Officer, Uday Tatkare.

These men will be posted in teams at low-lying areas identified by the fire brigade. The fleet will also be trained in rowing boats, rescue operations and communications, and can be deployed near the coastline in case of high tide.

The BMC plans to set up mini-control rooms in all its 24 wards, to facilitate better communication. During heavy showers, if one communication centre fails, it should not effect the entire system, hence these mini-control rooms,” said a civic official.

Apart from the fire brigade teams, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will deploy 270 of its personnel at 12 vulnerable spots during the three months. Five to six of its 45-member teams will be deployed at vulnerable spots in 12 wards identified by the BMC.

Army and Navy teams will also be posted across the city. Four Navy teams will be deployed at Colaba, Worli, Malad and Ghatkopar, while an Army team will be on standby at R C Church, Colaba.

Of the 12 vulnerable wards the BMC has surveyed, seven are in the western suburbs, three in the eastern suburbs and two in the island city. Wards close to the Mithi river are considered the most vulnerable.