On the lines of National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and State’s Yashada Institute, the BMC has decided to set up earthquake and tsunami simulators at the City Institute of Disaster Management (CIDM) to better prepare the citizens for any such eventuality. Training of how to deal with these natural disasters will also be given at this institute.
“In this institute, we will also install an earthquake stimulator, by which people will experience the tremors caused by earthquakes of different scale,” said Mahesh Narvekar, head of BMC’s disaster management cell.
Earthquake simulations are generally performed to study the effects of earthquakes on man-made engineered structures, or on natural features that may present a hazard during an earthquake.
“We are also planning to show a 3-D film on tsunami waves at this institute. People will get information about what triggers these tidal waves, how they are formed and what destruction they can cause,” said Mr Narvekar.
According to the civic officials, this institute, named Kalpataru, will be commissioned this year. The BMC will be the first civic body in the country to have its own centre for disaster management. The CIDM will be located in a four-storey building near Bharatmata Theatre in Parel. The centre, to be set up at an estimated cost of `5 crore, will have facilities like auditorium, gallery, command and control centre, classrooms, library, etc.