Response Plan To Address Flood Problem In Mumbai: Steps And Strategies

Discuss about the Response Plan To Address Flood Problem In Mumbai.

Flooding has different impacts in different places, as a result of which the Flood Emergency Response plan has to m made taking into consideration the geographical scenario of the different places. Moreover, the emergency planning team must take sure, that they are having sufficient resources to control the flood in all the affected areas. One can make factors during the times of warning and this is the key to an important and effective emergency response to flood. Before making the plans, it is significant to take hard looks at the processes or the equipments in the low-lying areas and basement (Rosenthal & t’Hart, 2012). The further guidance to make the plan for flood emergency would like to state the reader that the important steps that would be taken by the response team in Mumbai to render protection to the people who are badly affected by the disaster of flood. It would further communicate the reader about the important steps that would be taken by the emergency response plan and the steps that people must take in steps to give protection to them. The emergency plan did an excellent work through their mitigation policy, the stakeholders and the logistics team played an important role in this particular aspect (Rosenthal & t’Hart, 2012).

In the month of July in Mumbai at Andheri Subway and Bandra, or the island city of Mumbai, the areas were affected due to flood out of heavy rain, which took place. This resulted to the saturation of soil and this lead to the running off rainfall into the rivers, this made the river to swell, and it would create flood in the surroundings as well around the islands of Mumbai. This flood would heavily affect too many people who stay closer to the river, who are very old and stay in low quality housing (Rosenthal & t’Hart, 2012). After the visiting of the emergency response team, they have decided to give protection to those people who are suffering out of this problem. Against this background also by determining the situation, it is the responsibility of the leader of the response team to adopt an emergency response plan through the procedures of safety shut down and keeping away the inflammable and gas or liquid equipments (Drabek, 2012).

The practices of the plan have been triggered through the observation made by the rising water, weather forecasts or the reports from the provincial government. The coordinators of Emergency makes the Emergency Operations group alert and the group starts implementing the response plan, go through the resources and give work to personnel, also arrange meetings with other emergency coordinating bodies (Wilby & Keenan, 2012). Inspection of the Andheri and Andheri subway or the areas of drinking are being undertaken, as well, the works of remedial nature are being identified and the preparation is being undertaken for the increasing water levels.

Phase 1- Activities before flooding

The rising water is based on the particular levels of water or the warnings. The weekly patrol of the dikes is important and key works have to be implemented. There are certain places in Mumbai that unexpected flooding out of the river water might take place, but their effects are taken to be negligible (Wilby & Keenan, 2012).

Based on the flooding that would happen in Mumbai, the increase of the water levels is severe. The dike patrols are being assigned on the 24 hour. Much flooding that might take place in the unprotected area at Andheri which having the levels of water influencing the forces on the dikes which were existing already. In order to check this problem, the recruitment of the forces in order to mark the roads, giving assistance to the residents and reinforcing dikes, controlling the boils and also there are requirements for the other work (Tinganchali, 2012).

The organization has made sure that there is availability of the trained people along with proper resources at the appropriate times during and after the event of the river flood. The members of the organization must carry the authority to practice the requisite response plans and actions, this incorporate not only the staffs who are trained but also includes spare parts, fuels or replacements (Tinganchali, 2012). The organization would involve into testing the plans or any other equipments such as power supply or the emergency lighting, proper medicine facilities for those who are old and affected out of the flood in Mumbai. The corporation would make sure that much fuel is available for the equipments of emergency. Safety for the store fuel according to the requirements of the fire safety would make sure that the water of flood is not affecting it. The means of following communication protocols that can be completely established and the proper means of communication has to be established by checking the important issues such as loss of cell phone, battery power without the power from mains (Zhang et al., 2012).

The emergency flooding response of the organization is organization in different ways. The recommendation has been given to use the Incident Command System by the provincial government and the Ministry of the Environment, the related the hazardous response plan are the primary examples of this system (Mcentire, 2014). This flood plan, which has been prepared, uses a proper system of ICS. Alternatively, the departmental structure of the Local Authority, each department performs the functions. The Operations group of the emergency would establish the centre for emergency operations, which would give direction to the activities of the group which is reporting to the council or the local authority of the nearly places of Mumbai (Zhang et al., 2012).

Phase 2: Rising Water

The response of the flood hazards would be controlled and directed by the officials. They would be responsible for giving important services in order to minimize the negative impacts of the emergency on the city or municipality. This group consists of the Operations group of emergency and they consists of the important officials or the stakeholders and they are Member of the council belonging to the Local Authority, the chief officer of administration, police or chiefs or any alternatives. The fire chief, senior public workers officers, the senior emergency officer of health and care, the coordinators of emergency or the operation, the public information officers and other logistic members are also being added to this group (Samaddar et al., 2012).

The extra personnel are added to the Municipal Emergency Operations Group and they are a representative of hydro, the staff of liaison from the Emergency Program of Province or any other ministries from province. There are other officials’ representatives or the Emergency Operations group also takes experts into consideration as important stakeholders.

Building’s inundation out of the damages caused in the roof, due to higher intensity of rain as well as due to the windy events. In this case, the rain has made its infiltration to the roofs into the main buildings which results to damaged equipments and stocks. The organization has made a survey, that the maintenance plan is being implemented properly in order to develop door windows, which are affected out of the flood happened due to river, as well as systems of roofing and the system of drainage (Samaddar et al., 2012).

It is important to keep in mind that topographic and architectural features can be resulted in a higher variations due to the forces of wind in different parts of the housing. It is important to make identification of these critical arenas with the help of well qualified structural engineers. Damaged by the winds of these elements and exposure to river flood, therefore, the regular maintenance is needed which reduces the inclination towards the happenings of damages. This can be well implemented into actions through the closer inspection of gutters, panels, proofing systems of water in the regular maintenance plan in the building (Samaddar et al., 2012).

The inclusion of the checks on regular basis of the equipments which incorporates pumps fuel supply, emergency power for the generators and so forth in the building maintenance plan. Therefore, it is important to construct a building maintenance plan where the responsibilities, types and the frequencies have to be well clearly defined. The ultimate results of the inspections have to well documented (Chaunya et al., 2012).

Phase 3: Severe Flooding

The entire documentation in detail has to be maintained, as for example maintaining a documentation of the log book at the stages of alarm, actions and the internal communications have to waged including the photos that are being taken for measures. These would not only facilitate the adjustment exercise of the post flood loss but would at the same time give aid to the team of emergency response and the site management while bringing improvements to the response plan (Chaunya et al., 2012).

Not only the consumers and suppliers, but the staffs must be stay informed about the further developments, the communication system are needed to be efficient  in order to inform both employees as well as the authorities from locality, media, being another important stakeholder must be incorporated in the team of emergency response (Yang, Yang & Plotnick, 2013).

Other Actions

• The removal of all the hazardous substances to a safer location
• Removing the portable equipments and machineries to the higher levels and these locations would act as accessible routes during the stages of preparations.
• The stocks must be removed to a higher level and the organization must make sure that the buildings which are being evacuated must be restricted from the people to enter the buildings (Van et al., 2014).

During the pre flooding, the organization would reach the area and would try to help out the older people that what are the activities that they could do if the flood takes place out the running off water in the river (Xiong et al., 2012). The agency would advice the family of the older people to carry medications, eyeglasses, oxygen cylinders or any technologies which would come in need. The agency would help out the older people to keep a list of important medications medical devices and other important needful materials which would come in handy while taking preparation for the flood. The important items such as food, medicine and water are needed to be taken into account while preparing for the emergency. By keeping their views in mind, the agency must frame out a proper communication plan for each and every member of the family. Plan must be devised that how the family must be kept informed during the disaster through the cell phone or telephone (Xiong et al., 2012). The Flooding Emergency Response team along with the support of their logistic group must be efficient enough to supply the home supplies and health incorporating a two week, sufficient food and water and the suppliers of the first aid which are needed to the older people and the disabled. The special needs shelters are important for the people who are having low quality housing and the older people who are sensitive to the changing situations, the shelter which has to be stuffed with medical devices, food and bedding. The shelters must be either public buildings or school buildings (Xiong et al., 2012).

Defining the organization of emergency response to challenges

The members of the group of emergency operations would gather at regular intervals in order to inform each other about the actions which would be taken and the problems must be encountered. The different meetings have to be organized and also allowing the members in order to carry out the responsibilities of the individuals. Status boards and the maps would be displayed prominently and must be kept up to date by the operation officers.

The plan must be reviewed and each group would take responsibility to prepare a detailed plan to assign the groups in their area of responsibility. There are various plans which are needed to be coordinated by the coordinator of the emergency responses.

The operation has to be implemented from the month of July to October 2017. The same plan would be reviewed by April 30^th every year. The test plan would be conducted annually.

• It is recommended to the Flood Emergency team that they must procure all the essential equipments that they would need in case of any emergency situations.
• They must have sufficient resources including proper man power in order to deal with the havoc that is caused during flood. They must increase the number of members working in their individual rescue teams, so that they can carry on their operations quickly and accurately.
• They must accumulate sufficient amount of fund in order to extend the apt help to the flood victims.
• They must also make some tie ups with the local NGOs and the flood relief help centers so that they can provide all the victims with sufficient food, clothes, medicines and shelter during such emergency situations.
• They must also test their equipments before hand and get them replaced in case they have become ineffective and outdated.
• Particularly, it is recommended that they make use of preventive materials like sandbags, strong embankments and barriers in order to control the water flow during floods (Smith, 2013).

Conclusion

Therefore to conclude it can be stated that an effective flood response plan must be built up because due to heavy rain that happened in Mumbai, this might in return cause floods. Therefore, before hand, in order to face the challenges of the rain. The plan has come out to be quite effective and during any types of emergency related to flood, the same plan can be implemented properly by the emergency operations agency within a particular period of time.

References

Caunhye, A. M., Nie, X., & Pokharel, S. (2012). Optimization models in emergency logistics: A literature review. Socio-economic planning sciences, 46(1), 4-13.

Drabek, T. E. (2012). Human system responses to disaster: An inventory of sociological findings. Springer Science & Business Media.

McEntire, D. A. (2014). Disaster response and recovery: strategies and tactics for resilience. John Wiley & Sons.

Rosenthal, U., & t'Hart, P. (Eds.). (2012). Flood response and crisis management in Western Europe: a comparative analysis. Springer Science & Business Media.

Samaddar, S., Misra, B. A., Chatterjee, R., & Tatano, H. (2012). Understanding community's evacuation intention development process in a flood prone micro-hotspot, Mumbai. IDRiM Journal, 2(2), 89-107.

Smith, K. (2013). Environmental hazards: assessing risk and reducing disaster. Routledge.

Tingsanchali, T. (2012). Urban flood disaster management. Procedia engineering, 32, 25-37.

Van De Walle, B., Turoff, M., & Hiltz, S. R. (2014). Information systems for emergency management. Routledge.

Wilby, R. L., & Keenan, R. (2012). Adapting to flood risk under climate change. Progress in Physical Geography, 36(3), 348-378.

Xiong, W., Bair, A., Sandrock, C., Wang, S., Siddiqui, J., & Hupert, N. (2012). Implementing telemedicine in medical emergency response: concept of operation for a regional telemedicine hub. Journal of medical systems, 36(3), 1651-1660.

Yang, L., Yang, S. H., & Plotnick, L. (2013). How the internet of things technology enhances emergency response operations. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 80(9), 1854-1867.

Zhang, J. H., Li, J., & Liu, Z. P. (2012). Multiple-resource and multiple-depot emergency response problem considering secondary disasters. Expert Systems with Applications, 39(12), 11066-11071.