Residents move out every monsoon

Before every monsoon, 62-year-old Suresh Hotkar’s big concern is finding a good flat for his family. The reason: His 2BHK in Kalina gets flooded whenever it pours.

Before every monsoon, 62-year-old Suresh Hotkar’s big concern is finding a good flat for his family. The reason: His 2BHK in Kalina gets flooded whenever it pours.

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The Hotkars shift out of their own house and live in a rented flat for three to four months every year.

Several families in Sunder Nagar, Kalina and Vakola move out every monsoon. While some go to relatives’ homes, others rent flats, sometimes in distant areas such as Mira Road, Kalyan and Virar. The area was devastated by the July 2005 deluge, when many residents drowned and thousands lost their belongings. Six years later, people are too scared to stay back, even as the civic body and the state spend crores of rupees and claim to have taken preventive measures.

“The entire area gets flooded with up to three feet of water. Sewage water enters our house. The safest option is another house,” said Hotkar, secretary of New Azad society, Kolivary village, Kalina. “It is tough to rent a house for just three months in Mumbai so we go to places such as Kalyan.”

Residents believe the flooding problem in Kalina will get addressed if the civic body corrects the alignment of the drainage line. “It has left the work half-done,” said Sebastin.

Corporator Alice Therattil said: “Work got halted as we didn’t have the no-objection certificate from the traffic police. We will get it soon and restart work.”