Mumbai: Water crisis grips Kalina

Residents of Mani Pada chawl, who claim they have had no water for the past two days. Pics/Anurag Ahire

Around 30,000 residents in Kalina, Santacruz East, have been struggling with an acute water shortage for the past month. With no consistent water supply from the BMC, residents are forced to rely on expensive water tankers, spending between Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 per society in the last 30 days. Allegations of a growing nexus between the BMC and tanker mafia have left locals frustrated, as they face dirty, smelly water and rising costs while the issue persists.

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

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Water shortages began before the Ganpati festival in the Sundar Nagar and Mani Pada areas of Kalina. The water pressure was already very low, but day by day, residents began getting dirty and smelly water. They are also forced to buy drinking water separately because of these issues. mid-day received a complaint from Kalina residents on Tuesday. mid-day visited the area and found that all societies, including slum residents, have no BMC water and tankers are refilling water tanks in each society.

Raj Kutir Society

Raj Kutir Society has depended on tanker supply for the last month, spending almost Rs 50,000 on water tankers. Society chairman 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 it has not been resolved yet. We have spent almost Rs 45,000 on water tankers in the past 30 days. The BMC should provide water free of charge if they fail to supply it."

Siddhivinayak Society

Residents of Sundar Nagar have also faced a water crisis for the last month. They told mid-day that they are paying Rs 3,000 for 10,000 litres of water and ordering two tankers. The residents are buying drinking water from outside sources. A resident, Shruti Sonthalia, a teacher, said, "We get dirty water from the tanker, which is not suitable for drinking. We only use tanker water to wash utensils. BMC water used to come for barely an hour daily, but has now stopped altogether." Sama Patel added, "We are spending Rs 6,000 daily on water that we cannot drink, and are also buying drinking water." Another resident, Suchita Bhatt, said, "We have been facing these issues since Ganpati, and now Navratri is approaching. We are desperate for water."

Samrat SRA CHS

Around 100 residents have not got water for the last 30 days. They are buying water from tankers at Rs 4,000 for 10,000 litres. Speaking with mid-day, society chairman Sunil Salvi said, "We are getting dirty water with a bad odour from the tankers. The tanker mafia is exploiting us. The BMC needs to resolve this issue as soon as possible." Committee member Vijay Mahadik said, "We haven't got drinking water for the past month. BMC officers keep making excuses about burst pipes, damaged lines, and broken valves as reasons for shortage. These excuses are fake and baseless. There is a nexus between the BMC and the tanker mafia."

Babu Niwas

Resident Rajeshri Anil Jadhav said, "We get BMC water daily for only 15 minutes, and that water is dirty and stinks. We have to boil it before drinking it."

Tejaswini Society

The society secretary said, "We spent almost R40,000 on tankers in September. We order 20,000 litres of water daily. Many patients and senior citizens live in our society. We should get clean water free of charge."

Mani Pada Chawl

Around 1,000 residents in Mani Pada have had no water for the last two days. They have not been able to bathe. Resident Ganpat Gaikwad said, "I haven't bathed in the last two days. Tankers cannot come inside our chawl because of 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

Deputy Hydraulic Engineer Mangesh Shewale of the BMC flatly denied any shortage in the area, stating, "Our supply 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 soon as possible. Our engineers will visit the Kalina area tomorrow to check all connections and supply tanks," he stated.