Contour mapping of Mumbai to be done soon: Phatak

Mumbai, Jul 4 (UNI) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will soon conduct contour mapping of the city, which will enable it to make note of all the high and low points in the metropolis and prevent flooding of low lying areas.

Speaking to mediapersons here today, Municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak said that the mapping will be conducted after consultation with the defence ministry, which is against the mapping done being by a private party, due to security reasons.

Additional municipal commissioner R A Rajiv said that the contour mapping will help the corporation prevent flooding in the low-lying areas. ''It is in the national interest, as many projects can be conducted, once the mapping is done,'' Mr Rajiv said.

Mr Phatak, referring to a study published in Environment and Urbanisation journal, said that Mumbai like Tokyo, New York, Shanghai, Jakarta and Dhaka is at the risk of getting flooded due to global warming and migration, as it is less than 33 feet above sea level.

''Many areas in the city are below five meters from sea level and a subsequent high tide of over 5 meters and heavy rains, leads to flooding in the city,'' Mr Phatak said.

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