While several parts of coastal India had hit the panic button, the financial capital of the country was on the alert, but not in fright. According to a senior BMC official, "Studies and experts assert that tsunami can never hit Mumbai, as there isn't any epicenter in the ocean on the western side.
It’s only earthquakes that can bother the city because there are three major active fault lines in Panvel, Koyna and another spot, which is in Pakistan.”
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‘We were ready’
Chief officer of BMC’s Disaster Management Cell M Narvekar said, “Though there was no alert in Mumbai, as per the norms, we had kept all the facilities on a stand-by. Also, we were constantly taking details from INCOIS, which is the central nodal agency and gives accurate hourly updates.”
Narvekar added that there are three types of SOPs — Alert, Warning and Watch — and Mumbai was on Watch, wherein the situation was only to be observed.
Likewise, civic body’s Standing Committee Chairman Rahul Shewale said, “We are prepared for disasters like buildings collapse during rains and earthquake. In case of an emergency, we’d have activated the ward-level disaster controls following which 256 fire engines, 30 ambulances, along with several private ambulances would have been sent to help people.”u00a0