2.3. Damage to buildings and assets

Another one is that before the flood, it was a house and it was like that, then the local government started to elevate the road okay simply elevated the road year after year. But as a result what happened they can see that it makes the houses more vulnerable water can easily come to house and it is really risky for them.

In some areas, the local government elevated the roads thinking it would help. However, this change made houses more vulnerable because the elevation caused water to pool near homes during floods. Therefore, elevating the road did not reduce flooding risks for the residents. Instead, it became a riskier living environment when heavy rain or flooding occurred.

Imagine living on a hill while all your neighbors are in a valley. If the hill gets too steep, when it rains, the water from the hill runs down, flooding the valley. This is similar to what happened when the roads were elevated but didn't take the surrounding houses into account.

There is also an encroachment by on Mithi river some people are encroaching, this is a Mithi river you can see that new constructions arouse. So municipal authority actually demolished these places recently, but again new constructions are coming.

Encroachment refers to when people build homes or businesses too close to a river, which can lead to increased flood risks. In this case, people have been constructing near the Mithi River, which the authorities attempted to stop by demolishing illegal structures. Despite these efforts, new constructions continue to appear, further threatening the area's safety and contributing to environmental degradation.

Think of a river like a bit of space needed for a garden. If someone starts planting flowers too close to the edge, heavy rain can wash them away. Similarly, when buildings are put too close to the river, they are at risk of being washed away during floods.

What we found that in 1980 it was a mangrove area totally on Mithi river... In 1990 in the early 1990s or late 1980s some settlements have come especially the construction workers they started to build temporary houses.

Originally, the area around the Mithi River was mangrove habitat, providing natural flood protection. Over time, especially from the late 1980s, people began moving in and building temporary homes, leading to rapid urbanization. This transition from natural land to developed land removed the protective mangroves, increasing vulnerability to flooding.

Imagine a sponge that absorbs water. If you take the sponge away, the water will start to spill out everywhere. The mangroves acted like the sponge, soaking up floodwaters; removing them made the area more flood-prone.

It was the damage to building and damage to household, durable asset due to 2005 flood... But people who are close to the Mahim Creek or river they lost everything.

The 2005 flood caused significant damage to homes and personal property, with those living closest to the Mahim Creek suffering the worst losses. Many families lost all their belongings, which included furniture, walls, and even their entire homes. This highlights the severe impact flooding can have on local communities.

Think of a family preparing for a big storm with strong winds. If they have no shelter, when the storm hits, they might lose everything outside. This is what happened to many families when the floodwaters took away their homes and possessions.

So we actually listed down the actions for rescue operations... So we can do through what we can what they can do by themselves and what they can do with the help of external agencies.

In response to the flooding issues, the community began to develop a local action plan. This plan included specific tasks that could be done by the community members themselves and additional actions that would require help from external agencies. The goal was to enhance preparedness for future flooding incidents.

Imagine a neighborhood coming together to build a fence after seeing how storms affected them. They might decide to share tools for building the fence themselves while also asking for the help of professionals for parts they can't handle alone. This collaboration strengthens their community against future storms, much like the community action plan.

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