Mumbai is the financial and commercial capital of India. The City with a population of 18 million is one of the most populous cities in the world. Mumbai is India’s main economic engine, contributing about 32% of the nation’s revenue and also contributes significantly in the nation’s GDP. Mumbai’s most of its area is located on a flood prone, poorly drained, composed largely on landfill and is highly vulnerable to the climate hazards as happened by the large scale flooding during July, 2005.
Flooding is the most important problem for Mumbai. When heavy rains combine with high tide surges, most landfills areas in Mumbai are prone to flooding. However, the most vulnerable people are those living in slums and low lying areas that carry various health risks like malaria.
(Source: Google iamges)
Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of current hazards of Mumbai, increased in incidence of extreme events, spur the emergence of new hazards and vulnerabilities with differential spatial and socio-economic impacts and also serous health issues. According to a study of the University of Hawaii, in just twenty years from now, Mumbai could routinely start witnessing temperatures hotter than the city has experienced in 150 years. The study predicted the climate ‘tipping points' and states that by 2047 if no new steps to contain carbon dioxide emission are initiated, Mumbai’s temperature will increase by 20 C to 3.750 C. Mumbai is predicted to have an average annual decrease in precipitation of two to four percent and the sea-level rise is predicted to increase by 50 centimeters by 2050.
Adaption to Climate Risk Management:
Adaptation to climate change requires an effective Climate risk management in Mumbai; Disaster management being one of the most important components of climate risk management. However, as the current disaster management policies in the city are not adequate for a successful adaptation to climate change and reducing the vulnerabilities of the poor who are most affected due to the climate hazards. The Government developed an urban disaster management plan (DMP) for Mumbai which identified flooding as a significant risk, pinpointed bottlenecks and vulnerable areas. However in spite of this, no systematic action has been taken to mitigate the risks of disasters and very less emphasis has been given to the issue of adaptation to climate change in the disaster management plans.
Adaptation to Climate Change:
To limit the adverse affects of deteriorating climate, a strategic urban climate change adaptation plan is needed for the vulnerable people in Mumbai. Analysis of opportunities and constraints associated with the implementation of local adaptation measures in the city shows that the challenge of climate change adaptation to a large extent connects to and emphasizes existing local development concerns and they are inextricably linked with local driving factors that determines vulnerability. Further, there is a need to integrate climate change adaptation plan into city development plan which requires the awareness and understanding of climate risks at the local level. The immediate concern for Mumbai is to ensure that the City adapt to the adverse climatic conditions.
The most important issues the water supply, sanitation and health. Extremes in climate add to the water crisis and further deteriorate the urban environment. The disaster management plan in Mumbai is not adequate to deal with the risks of climate change in the future and there is a need of shift from reactive to a proactive disaster management policy. After the floods in 2005, different proactive actions were planned such as maintenance of drainage systems, improved flood early warning system etc.
For developing a climate change adaptation framework, the links between the climate risks and human vulnerabilities need to be identified. Further, it requires developing the adaptive capacities of the most vulnerable populations in the urban areas.
(Ref: (i) Development Plan for Greater Mumbai, GMMC, Pages 123 to 145, (ii) Disaster Management Plan for Mumbai Metropolitan Region (Pages 56 to 70, Exe Sum, MMRDA, 2010)
An action plan for safer Mumbai:
Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of climate related hazards such as severe rise in average daily temperatures and floods in Mumbai. The city with large concentration of population, economic activities exposed to the current hazards and future climate impacts poses a critical challenge for the government to manage the climate risks. Reducing the vulnerabilities of people to the risks of climate change requires developing the adaptive capacities of most vulnerable population, who are more susceptible to the impacts. Successful adaptation to climate change risks requires identification of differential vulnerabilities of people in the cities developing their resilience to climate shocks through a mix of economic, infrastructural, disaster management policies. Views of fifteen year old girl on Mumbai's changing climate: (See the video)
Population densities for Mumbai’s squatter communities are as high as 94,000 per square kilometer. Critically vulnerable are those 60% people living in slums, many of which are located in low-lying areas without adequate sanitation and water supplies.(Ref: http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/).
Flooding is the most important problem for Mumbai. When heavy rains combine with high tide surges, most landfills areas in Mumbai are prone to flooding. However, the most vulnerable people are those living in slums and low lying areas that carry various health risks like malaria.
Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of current hazards of Mumbai, increased in incidence of extreme events, spur the emergence of new hazards and vulnerabilities with differential spatial and socio-economic impacts and also serous health issues. According to a study of the University of Hawaii, in just twenty years from now, Mumbai could routinely start witnessing temperatures hotter than the city has experienced in 150 years. The study predicted the climate ‘tipping points' and states that by 2047 if no new steps to contain carbon dioxide emission are initiated, Mumbai’s temperature will increase by 20 C to 3.750 C. Mumbai is predicted to have an average annual decrease in precipitation of two to four percent and the sea-level rise is predicted to increase by 50 centimeters by 2050.
Adaptation to climate change requires an effective Climate risk management in Mumbai; Disaster management being one of the most important components of climate risk management. However, as the current disaster management policies in the city are not adequate for a successful adaptation to climate change and reducing the vulnerabilities of the poor who are most affected due to the climate hazards. The Government developed an urban disaster management plan (DMP) for Mumbai which identified flooding as a significant risk, pinpointed bottlenecks and vulnerable areas. However in spite of this, no systematic action has been taken to mitigate the risks of disasters and very less emphasis has been given to the issue of adaptation to climate change in the disaster management plans.
Adaptation to Climate Change:
To limit the adverse affects of deteriorating climate, a strategic urban climate change adaptation plan is needed for the vulnerable people in Mumbai. Analysis of opportunities and constraints associated with the implementation of local adaptation measures in the city shows that the challenge of climate change adaptation to a large extent connects to and emphasizes existing local development concerns and they are inextricably linked with local driving factors that determines vulnerability. Further, there is a need to integrate climate change adaptation plan into city development plan which requires the awareness and understanding of climate risks at the local level. The immediate concern for Mumbai is to ensure that the City adapt to the adverse climatic conditions.
The most important issues the water supply, sanitation and health. Extremes in climate add to the water crisis and further deteriorate the urban environment. The disaster management plan in Mumbai is not adequate to deal with the risks of climate change in the future and there is a need of shift from reactive to a proactive disaster management policy. After the floods in 2005, different proactive actions were planned such as maintenance of drainage systems, improved flood early warning system etc.
(Ref: (i) Development Plan for Greater Mumbai, GMMC, Pages 123 to 145, (ii) Disaster Management Plan for Mumbai Metropolitan Region (Pages 56 to 70, Exe Sum, MMRDA, 2010)
An action plan for safer Mumbai:
Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of climate related hazards such as severe rise in average daily temperatures and floods in Mumbai. The city with large concentration of population, economic activities exposed to the current hazards and future climate impacts poses a critical challenge for the government to manage the climate risks. Reducing the vulnerabilities of people to the risks of climate change requires developing the adaptive capacities of most vulnerable population, who are more susceptible to the impacts. Successful adaptation to climate change risks requires identification of differential vulnerabilities of people in the cities developing their resilience to climate shocks through a mix of economic, infrastructural, disaster management policies. Views of fifteen year old girl on Mumbai's changing climate: (See the video)
Video Acknowledgement: Hasanthi Duvvuri, Recording by: Padmaja Duvvuri
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