Mumbai, Apr 20 (IANS): The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)'s Resident Representative for India Shoko Noda on Wednesday said the body would assist the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation to further strengthen its Disaster Management Department (DMD).

Visiting the BMC headquarters, she said she was impressed as she lauded the disaster management measures initiated by the country's biggest and richest civic body that manages the nation's financial capital.

Officials said that in order to tackle future threats to Mumbai which could become disasters, the UNDP is working on a project to boost the DMD that would assist the BMC tackle future disasters or emergencies more effectively.

This would include disaster preparedness, state-of-the-art messaging systems, empowerment of services, community-based disaster management response and effective use of Information Technology in disaster management.

Noda assured that the UNDP will extend its fullest support to the BMC's DMD for the successful completion of this project.

Top BMC officials including Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani, DMD Director Mahesh Narvekar, Rashmi Lokhande and other officials of UNDP were present.

They explained to Noda the complex working of the BMC's DMD, the decentralisation at the divisional levels, the involvement and coordination of various agencies for the successful running of the DMD.