Topics Covered: Disaster and disaster management.
IFLOWS-Mumbai
What is it?
It is an Integrated Flood Warning System and is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
- Mumbai is only the second city in the country after Chennai to get this system.
How it works?
The warning system will be able to relay alerts of possible flood-prone areas anywhere between six to 72 hours in advance.
- The system can provide all information regarding possible flood-prone areas, likely height the floodwater could attain, location-wise problem areas across all 24 wards and calculate the vulnerability and risk of elements exposed to flood.
- The primary source for the system is the amount of rainfall, but with Mumbai being a coastal city, the system also factors in tidal waves and storm tides for its flood assessments.
Why was this system needed in Mumbai?
Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has been experiencing floods with increased periodicity.
- The recent flood on 29 August 2017 had brought the city to a standstill.
- Last year, post-monsoon and unseasonal rainfall as late as October, two tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea had caught authorities off guard and left a trail of destruction.
- The flood during 26th July 2005, when the city received a rainfall of 94 cm, a 100 year high in a span of 24 hours had paralyzed the city completely.
Significance of this system:
Urban flooding is common in the city from June to September, resulting in the crippling of traffic, railways and airlines. As a preparedness for floods before they occur, the system will help in warning the citizens so that they can be prepared in advance for flooding conditions.
Sources: pib.
