With all eyes on Dharavi, BMC forgot about K-East ward: Locals

With the entire focus on Dharavi and Sion-Koliwada, Andheri (East), Marol, Vile Parle (East) and Jogeshwari (East) have not got the required attention to curb the

With the entire focus on Dharavi and Sion-Koliwada, Andheri (East), Marol, Vile Parle (East) and Jogeshwari (East) have not got the required attention to curb the spread of Covid-19, which is to blame for the surge, residents have alleged.

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The K-East ward, which has 70% slums, tops the list of civic wards in terms of cumulative Covid-19 cases and deaths in the city. Since the outbreak in March till July 18, the ward has recorded 6,543 cases and 416 deaths. During the same period, the total number of cases in G-North ward comprising Dharavi and Dadar is 5,954, while it is 3,988 in Sion-Koliwada.

From the start of the outbreak until May, the civic ward did not figure among the top 10 Covid-19 hot spots. On June 1, the ward had reported 2,402 cases, but by June-end, it surpassed the accumulated number of Covid-19 cases reported at G-North ward that covers Dadar and Dharavi. On June 30, K-East ward recorded 5,301 cases, as against 4,913 cases in G-North. The infection rate at the ward is growing at 1.1% and a doubling rate of 62 days to become the only ward to cross the 6,500 mark. The slum pockets in the ward have become a hotbed of the pandemic.

“All attention was paid to Dharavi and Koliwada, but the civic body took the slums in Andheri East and Govandi for granted,” said activist and lawyer Godfrey Pimenta, a Marol resident. “Despite the lockdown, people were roaming freely and didn’t maintain social distancing. I had written to the civic body, but nobody paid heed.”

The ward has 41 containment zones with 716 sealed buildings. Some areas in the ward that have reported the highest number of cases include Marol Pipeline, Mograpada, Indira Nagar, Hanuman Nagar, Meghwadi, Shiv Tekdi, Saraswati Chawl, Malpadongri, Kondivita and Shastri Nagar.

“The ward not only has the highest number of cases, but also fatality rate. Considering almost 70% of the area comprises slums, the civic body should have been more cautious. It’s only due to early detection that Dharavi is reporting the least number of daily cases,” said Dr Mohan Desai, a local general physician.

Despite repeated calls, Prashant Sapkale, assistant municipal commissioner of K-E ward, didn’t respond. Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, BMC, said the civic body has started ‘Saving Lives’ strategy to reduce the fatality rate. “We have been able to control the doubling rate. At present, the ward has around 1,400 active cases. The situation will improve in one to two weeks,” he said.

While G-North has 1,488 active cases, Sion-Koliwada has 675.