Kolhapur: Vijayasekar Kalavakonda, a senior operations officer at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank entity, has announced plans to establish emergency command control centers in Kolhapur, Sangli, and Ichalakaranji.
This initiative aims to mitigate flood impacts and safeguard properties, industries, and livelihoods. Kalavakonda and his team are on a three-day visit to survey flood-prone areas and collaborate with local authorities and residents as part of the Maharashtra Climate Resilient Development Project (MCRDP).
The MCRDP, a collaboration between the state government’s Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (Mitra) and the World Bank, aims to divert flood water to drought-prone areas in the region. The project, estimated to cost Rs 32,000 crore, is primarily funded by the World Bank.
“Mumbai already has a fully functional center, and similar centers will be established in the three cities Kolhapur, Sangli, and Ichalakaranji. We will collect data on rains and floods and their impact due to the diminishing open spaces and speak to civic authorities who have prepared a detailed plan and provide them with inputs for the necessary infrastructure to tackle floods,”.
Kalavakonda mentioned that the design of the MCRDP will be completed by March next year. “We will visit Panhala, where a major landslide occurred during the floods of 2021. Climate change is evident from the changing rainfall patterns, with significant downpours in a short duration. Civic authorities will be advised to build stormwater drains and retaining walls to prevent damages,” he added.
