Due to reoccurring flood events and especially the flooding event of 2005 in the Greater Mumbai area, Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative (EMI), based in Manila, Philippines, was asked to provide a report titled “Disaster Risk Resiliency and Mumbai’s Slums.” This 2011 report was part of a larger Disaster Risk Reduction in Greater Mumbai Project. I was working with EMI at the time in Manila and worked with Mr. Jerome Zayas on the report. The reasons why the floods were so destructive relate primarily to a few factors. First, the southern part of the city consisted of seven islands, which were connected together by land reclamation projects over the years. This resulted in marshy, low-lying land that is particularly vulnerable when flooding occurs. Second, due to the low value of the land, informal settlements often were located on the land. These settlements are self-built and are often not able to structurally withstand flood events. The recommendations provided to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai were related to:
- Legal and Institutional Processes and Policies
- Public Awareness and Capacity Building
- Critical Services and Infrastructure Resiliency
- Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Planning
- Development Planning, Regulation and Risk Mitigation