Foul water, which smells like gutter, making us sick: Residents of Juhu Gaothan

While residents of Juhu Gaothan said that they are falling sick because of getting blackish water, which smells like a gutter, people in Mulund West are complaining of receiving muddy water, which is unfit to be used. While some of the Juhu Gaothan residents claimed that the issue has been continuing for a month, some others have insisted that it has been going on for a year.

Mumbai: Residents of two areas in the city — Juhu Gaothan and Mulund West —have been complaining of receiving contaminated water.

Savita Bhanushali, a resident of the Transcon Skycity Tirumala Habitats, Mulund West showed the muddy water she has been receiving in her flat. She said that despite many complaints, the BMC has not done anything. (PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT PHOTO)

While residents of Juhu Gaothan said that they are falling sick because of getting blackish water, which smells like a gutter, people in Mulund West are complaining of receiving muddy water, which is unfit to be used.

While some of the Juhu Gaothan residents claimed that the issue has been continuing for a month, some others have insisted that it has been going on for a year.

A BMC official has said that most of the societies in Juhu Vile Parle Development Scheme (JVPD) are more than 50 years old and therefore, their pipelines are in bad condition. Moreover, they pass through stormwater drains, thus leading to water contamination in monsoon.

Clive Creado, a resident of Juhu Gaothan, said that he and his family have fallen sick in the past few days after using the contaminated water.

Another resident, Ketan Bandagale, who has five members in his family, said that at any given time, somebody or the other in his family is sick because of the contaminated water.

“This has been going on for a year now. Local leaders assured us that the situation would get better. We are still waiting. The water we receive is dirty, blackish in colour and smells like a gutter, especially when the water supply starts and when it is about to end,” he said.

On Monday, the citizen’s page ‘Juhu Buzz’ had tweeted on the water contamination issue. “We are deeply concerned about the quality of the BMC water supplied to our area. It is disheartening to report that the water we are receiving is contaminated and unsafe for consumption. We kindly request the BMC’s hydraulic engineer’s department, to investigate this matter urgently and address the issue,” said the tweet.

Prithviraj Chauhan, assistant commissioner of K west ward said, “A joint visit along with the hydraulic engineer and other staff of the department was conducted on Monday.

“The societies in the JVPD are more than 50 years old. In many societies, water connections from the main (tertiary) network to the society are found to be passing through the stormwater drains, and these pipes are in severely deteriorated/rusted condition.

“Hence, such connections are contaminating the water in the secondary network/tertiary network during rains as (flow of) water in stormwater drains is heavy during the monsoon.”

Chauhan said that a team would be deployed to resolve the issue as soon as possible. “We are checking such connections one by one and replacing them as a priority. Currently, we are focusing on leakages/contamination in the areas,” he said.

Meanwhile, residents of Mulund West have also complained of receiving muddy water for the past five to six days. They said they have to boil the water, let the mud settle and then filter it before it can be used.

Savita Bhanushali, a resident of the Transcon Skycity Tirumala Habitats, Mulund west said, “Water received is muddy which is difficult to be used for any purpose. Despite using a good filter, the water still has mud in it and the BMC has not done anything despite complaints.”

The housing society members said that some of the residents, including children, have complained of skin rashes because of the muddy water. The society members had written a letter to the BMC’s T ward but claimed that there has been no response.

Residents of Mahavir Apartments, near ESIS hospital, have also complained of receiving muddy water in the past one week.

An official from the hydraulic engineer department requesting details of the housing societies in Mulund said, “A team from T ward will collect samples for testing.”

VOICES:

Residents speak up

Neha Vira, Mahavir apartment, Mulund west

There are around 120 flats in the complex and everyone has been receiving muddy water for the past six to seven days. Despite tweeting to the BMC, there has been no improvement. We have been advised by our housing society to boil water and drink.

Murli Bastani, secretary, Transcon Skycity Tirumala Habitats, Mulund west

We have been receiving muddy water for the last five days. We boil water and let it settle down after adding alum, then we filter it and only then drink it. There are 470 flats in the complex, water tanks are cleaned three times a year and they were cleaned in April. Now, we will have to clean them again.

Clive Creado, Juhu Koliwada resident

Water is everything. We have no clean water to drink, bathe or wash clothes. This issue has been on and off for a month now. After so many days, the water was slightly clean on Wednesday, but the volume was less. We are told it is work in progress.