The city of Mumbai is at risk. With depleting environmental conditions, the hazards in Mumbai will increase over the next few years. A study report released by McKinsey India states that the city will witness a 25 per cent increase in the intensity of flash floods. Moreover, it is said that the sea level will increase by 0.5m and these changes would affect millions of Mumbaikars living along the coastline of the city.
The data was presented on the first day of a conference titled Climate Crisis: Action for Tropical Coastal Cities, where officials from Mumbai signed the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCOM) on Thursday, which brings several leaders across cities globally, raising their voice and ambition for climate action. With this event, Mumbai became the 16th Indian city to be a part of the GCOM initiative.
Experts discussed the concerns Indian and European coastal cities will face over the next few years as the pattern of climate change would be the same. Issues like urban flooding, risk management in coastal cities, ecological impact, effects on human health and marine life, were discussed by panelists, thereby addressing concerns.
Comparing the condition of coastal cities, Dr. Shirish Sankhe, senior partner of McKinsey India, said, “We expect that by 2050 in Mumbai, two to three million people living within 1 km of coastline will be affected by floods, a 0.5-metre rise in sea level, a 1.5-times increase in probability of 100 kmph winds, 25% increase in flash floods’ intensity. Right now, average flood depth is 0.46 m, by 2050, it will be 0.8 m. Flooded area over 0.05 m is 46% right now. It will go up to 60% by 2050. Please start incorporating climate risk in your decision making.”
Addressing the concerns, Ugo Astuto, European Union Ambassador to India, said, “The fight against climate change is an existential issue. We need to act collaterally for the sake of future generations. We need to scale up global ambition when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. It is still possible to contain the damage if we act now. That is why the EU presented an ambitious vision and mission. We want carbon-neutral Europe by 2050. In Mumbai, we have seen destructive flooding last year, in 2017 and in 2005. It is not just about India. It’s a fact that coastal areas are at risk. The EU in 2013 prepared a strategy for climate change; 1,700 cities in Europe have already committed to enhancing their resilience. In India, so far 15 cities have joined. All metro projects have to go through a check for resilience and carbon footprint. Sustainable transportation is very important.”
An expert panel comprising of consul generals from Sweden, Italy and Netherlands were a part of this event where they shared their experiences of climate change
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