eGovWatch: BMC to launch web portal for quick response to disasters

In a bid to reduce its response time during emergencies, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is creating a command and control system portal.

By Tanushree Venkatraman

In the event of a disaster striking, the portal will immediately alert more than 80 stakeholders involved in rescue operations. The portal, which is being created at a cost of Rs 3 lakh, is expected to be functional and running in a year.

According to a senior civic official from the disaster management department, BMC currently alerts stakeholders like hospitals, fire brigade, police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and ward officers manually on common groups in case of a disaster. The development of the portal will enable system-generated messages and allow BMC to alert everybody simultaneously.

According to officials, the current response time of various agencies is way below global benchmarks. For instance, while the global benchmark for response time for fires is a maximum of four minutes, in Mumbai, the time taken to reach the site of fire is twice the norm (8 to 10 minutes) for the island city and four times longer (15 to 18 minutes) for the suburbs, officials have confirmed.

“Once we get a call on the emergency services, the system will be alerted and the GIS maps will not only immediately alert stakeholders, but also suggest road maps for reaching the location at the earliest. It is an intelligent system that will help us reduce manual intervention during emergencies and improve our response time,” said an official from the fire brigade.

The disaster department department will soon call for a practical demonstration of the system by consultants.

In February, a presentation was made to Michael Bloomberg, former New York Mayor and founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, a non-profit organisation. Bloomberg was in the city to initiate a road safety initiative by funding BMC.

The system will also be integrated with BMC’s website that currently gives regular weather and traffic updates to citizens. A source also said the system will increase transparency by noting the chronology of events during the disaster. “As everything will be noted in the system, officials not responding immediately can be held accountable. It will ensure transparency in operation and management,” said the official.