Scarcity of water, power outages and foul air persist

Kalyan residents face ongoing issues like water scarcity, power cuts, pollution, and traffic congestion, feeling neglected by elected officials for years.

Raju Nalawade, 64

Scarcity of water, power outages and foul air persist

senior citizen

Kalyan Rural Assembly Constituency

As a resident of Kalyan, I’ve witnessed the persistent challenges our community faces. This constituency, with over five lakh voters, spans both rural and urban regions. While representatives over the years have made attempts to address our issues, the reality is that many problems remain unresolved. Residents here continue to struggle with water scarcity, power outages, pollution, industrial hazards, sanitation woes, and severe traffic congestion. Despite promises and limited actions, lasting solutions seem distant, leaving us frustrated and increasingly disillusioned.

Water scarcity stands as a particularly acute problem, especially across the 27 villages within our constituency. Protests at the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) have become necessary for many of us, just to demand consistent access to water. Compounding our hardships are daily power cuts lasting three to four hours, disrupting our routines and local businesses.

Pollution remains another major concern, primarily from industries within the MIDC zone, alongside occasional yet alarming industrial explosions. The health and safety hazards from these incidents have led many of us to call for the relocation of hazardous industries—a move we hope the new government will support to safeguard our community.

Sanitation and waste management also remain dismal. Garbage piles up regularly, raising health risks, while outdated drainage systems clog and overflow, particularly during the monsoon. Many neighbourhoods lack adequate drainage, leading to frequent wastewater flooding on our roads. An infrastructure overhaul in sanitation is urgently needed to reduce these health hazards.

Traffic congestion, too, plagues our daily lives. The Kalyan-Shil Road and major routes in Dombivli are notorious for bottlenecks, worsened by ongoing metro construction. Although officials assure us of solutions, visible improvements are nowhere in sight.

One of our community’s long-standing demands has been the formation of an independent municipal council for the 27 villages. This would empower us to address our local issues more effectively. Yet, year after year, this request goes unmet, leaving many of us feeling ignored and resorting to protests to make our voices heard.

For over 15 years, these issues have cast a shadow over our constituency, with no lasting solutions from our elected officials. This continued neglect has left us feeling abandoned. We hold onto the hope that genuine change will come soon so we can finally experience the improvements that Kalyan Rural deserves.

As told to Anamika Gharat