Learn To Deal With Disasters at BMC Centre

Mumbaikars will soon have a fullfledged state- of- the- art centre, where they can take lessons on how to deal with various types of disasters. On the lines of National Institute of Disaster Management ( NIDM) and State's ashada Institute, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC) has decided to set up an Institute of Disaster Management ( CIDM) to create effective disaster management systems and professionals in the city.

" BMC's disaster management cell handles several areas of relief management like rehabilitation, assessment of losses/ needs, training and capacity- building, policy formation, mobilisation of human resources and NGO and UN organisation co- ordination. However, there was a need of doing this in an organised way and also to create awareness among people about disaster management and train them to tackle disasters effectively. The CIDM will function as a nodal agency, integrating expertise and experiences and collaborating with diverse institutions to form a vast network of disaster management," said Joint Municipal Commissioner S S Shinde, who is also in charge of disaster management cell.

The BMC will be the first civic body in the country to have its own centre for disaster management. The CIDM will be located in BMC's four- storey building near Bharatmata theatre in Parel. The centre to be set up at an estimated cost of Rs five crore, will have several facilities like auditorium, gallery, command and control centre, classrooms, library etc.

Training will be provided to school/ college students, corporate employees and citizens by experts in the centre, on disaster management. Instruments like earthquake and tsunami simulators have been made available to enable people understand the magnitude of such disasters.

Earlier, the BMC officials had to visit schools, colleges and other places to train people about disaster management. With the CIDM, we can train and educate them effectively at one location. In addition to this, exhibitions will also be held at the centre, which is expected to open in a couple of months, said Shinde.

With an aim to develop skilled professionals for dealing with disasters, the BMC has also planned to start a one- year postgraduate diploma in disaster management at CIDM in affiliation with University of Mumbai. The first batch will consist of civic staffers, he added.

The activities of CIDM will include academic courses, training programmes, research, documentation and publications, development of Geographical Information System (GIS) Cell for disaster prevention, preparedness and response, networking with social and technical experts, resource mobilisation, interaction with communities, government and nongovernment bodies, policy advocacy on the issues related to disaster management etc. It will also function as back- up centre and intervention unit to the BMC's disaster management cell.