Mumbai: Water crisis grips Kalina

About 30,000 residents of Kalina, eastern Santacruz, have faced acute water shortages over the past month. In the absence of consistent water supply from the BMC, residents are forced to rely on expensive water tankers, spending between Rs 40,000 and Rs 50,000 per society in the last thirty days. Allegations of a growing nexus between the BMC and the tanker mafia have left locals frustrated as they face dirty, smelly water and rising costs as the problem persists.

Rajashri Jadhav, a resident of Babu Niwas, shows the poor quality of water

Water shortages started before the Ganpati festival in Sundar Nagar and Mani Pada areas of Kalina. The water pressure was already very low, but day after day the residents received dirty and smelly water. Because of these problems, they are also forced to purchase drinking water separately. Mid-Day received a complaint from residents of Kalina on Tuesday. Afternoon visited the area and found that all societies including slum residents do not have BMC water and tankers are refilling water tanks in every society.

Raj Kutir Association

The Raj Kutir Society was dependent on the supply of tankers last month and spent nearly Rs 50,000 on water tankers. Society president Mukundan Nair said, “We order one tanker from BMC daily and pay Rs 1,500 for it. Private tankers charge more, and their water is also dirty and smelly. This problem started before the Ganpati festival but has not been resolved yet. We have spent nearly Rs 45,000 on water tankers in the last 30 days. The BMC should provide free water if they do not supply it.”

Siddhivinayak Association

Residents of Sundar Nagar have also been facing a water crisis for the past month. They said mid-day that they are paying Rs 3,000 for 10,000 liters of water and ordering two tankers. The residents purchase drinking water from external sources. A resident, Shruti Sonthalia, a teacher, said, “We collect dirty water from the tanker, which is not suitable for drinking. We only use tank water to wash kitchen utensils. In the past, BMC water barely came for an hour a day, but that has now stopped completely.” Sama Patel added, “We spend Rs 6,000 daily on water that we cannot drink and also buy drinking water.” Another resident, Suchita Bhatt, said, “We have been facing these problems since Ganpati and now Navratri is approaching. We are desperate for water.”

Samrat SRA CHS

About 100 residents have not received water for the past 30 days. They buy water from tankers at Rs 4,000 for 10,000 litres. Speaking to Midday, association president Sunil Salvi said, “We are getting dirty water with bad smell from the tankers. The tanker mafia is exploiting us. The BMC must resolve this issue as soon as possible.” Committee member Vijay Mahadik said, “We have not received drinking water for the past one month. BMC officers continue to make excuses about burst pipes, damaged pipes and broken valves as reasons for the shortage. These excuses are bogus and baseless. There is a link between the BMC and the tanker mafia.”

Babu Niwas

Resident Rajeshri Anil Jadhav said, “We get only 15 minutes of BMC water every day and that water is dirty and smelly. We have to boil it before we drink it.”

Tejaswini Association

The association’s secretary said: “We spent almost €40,000 on tankers in September. We order 20,000 liters of water every day. There are many patients and seniors living in our society. We should get clean water for free.”

Mani Pada Chawl

About 1,000 residents of Mani Pada have not had water for the past two days. They didn’t get to bathe. Resident Ganpat Gaikwad said, “I have not bathed for the past two days. Tankers cannot enter our chawl due to the narrow lanes.” Another resident, Anita Waghmare, said: “We will protest. We cannot afford to buy water from tankers and shops.”

BMC denies water shortage

BMC deputy hydraulic engineer Mangesh Shewale flatly denied any shortage in the area and stated, “Our stock is intact.” However, when reporters confronted him with evidence of the acute water shortage, he changed his tune. “We are working on this issue and trying to resolve it as quickly as possible. Our technicians will visit the Kalina area tomorrow to check all connections and supply tanks,” he stated.