Mumbai to host 2nd Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) meeting from May 23–25

Mumbai to host 2nd Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) meeting from May 23–25

Mumbai is gearing up to host the 2nd Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) meeting of the G20 from May 23–25. The meeting will witness discussion on five key priority areas which are early warning, resilient infrastructure, improved financing of DRR, national and international response, building back better and nature-based solutions.

The working group has been formed under India’s Presidency to encourage collective work, multidisciplinary research, and the exchange of best practices on disaster risk reduction.

Tech-based solutions to deal with heavy rainfall and flooding during monsoon
Mumbai city has faced various instances of heavy rains and water logging during monsoons. July 26, 2005, is etched in everyone’s mind as the day when the Mumbai Metropolitan Region witnessed record rainfall and subsequent flooding, leading to the loss of lives and properties.

Learning from such experiences, the city has undertaken tremendous efforts in disaster management. This has led to global recognition of the practices undertaken by the city in the domain of disaster management. G20 delegates attending the 2nd DRRWG meeting will be visiting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) control room to see how the Mumbai Municipal Corporation has put in place tech-based solutions to deal with heavy rainfall and flooding during the monsoon.

In a statement released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, it said that the delegates will be informed of all the steps taken by the BMC to address the issue of water logging due to heavy rainfall and high tide in the low-lying areas of Mumbai city and the suburbs.

Carrying forward the discussion of 1st Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG)
The first DRRWG meeting was conducted in Gandhinagar from March 30 until April 1. The meeting witnessed participation from over 80 delegates from G20 member countries, invited countries, and various international and regional organisations.

This initiative by India to include Disaster Risk Reduction in the G20 is part of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (Sendai Framework), said the official statement.

India’s achievements in disaster management
In an exclusive interview with DD India, the Member Secretary of NDMA, Kamal Kishore, talked about the reasons behind India’s achievements in disaster management. Kamal Kishore highlighted three elements that are behind India’s effort to minimise disasters’ effects.

First, the progress the country has made in improving forecast and warning systems. Second is community-level preparedness and having trained volunteers at the local level so that the people know what to do during the time of a disaster warning. Third is the continuous improvements in the dissemination system to provide early warnings about disasters.

Further, technological advancements have made the country more proactive in managing disasters and carrying out relief work promptly.