Mumbai rains: Homes flooded, Vasai-Virar locals shell out for hotels

Vibha Dubey and her family moved to a hotel on Wednesday after their ground-floor house at C colony in Vasai West flooded. Pics/Hanif Patel

Vasai, Virar and Nalasopara have been witnessing sporadic rainfall for the past few days, which has flooded many localities in the areas, forcing residents of ground-floor flats to move to hotels. While the locals alleged improper pre-monsoon work for their plight, the civic chief said high tide was to blame for severe waterlogging.

Areas like Sunctity, DG Nagar, Dindayal Nagar, 100ft Road, C colony and Chulne village in Vasai, and parts of Nalasopara and Virar are completely waterlogged.

A family of C colony has moved to a hotel nearby after rainwater entered their bedroom of their ground-floor flat. "We have been staying in this hotel since Wednesday. It's really difficult to stay there with two children with allergies," said Vibha Dubey, adding that they have been shelling out Rs 2,000 every day on the stay alone.

The rainwater has submerged roads on either side of Suncity. Pics/Hanif Patel

"Every monsoon, rainwater enters our flat and every year my belongings get damaged. Our house stinks for days. The municipal corporation is least bothered about the safety of citizens. There is no proper drainage system in Vasai-Virar and Nalasopara areas. We struggle every monsoon," she added.

"Last week, the electricity supply was disconnected because the water level was rising in residential complexes of Vasai West," said Dubey.

Many move to hotels

Many families staying on the ground-floor buildings in Vasai have moved to hotels, waiting for the rainwater to recede.

The waterlogged Chulne village

Nagraj Shetty, the general secretary of Hotel Association of Vasai taluka, said H and C colonies located on Ambadi road were still waterlogged. "There are a few hotels in Vasai taluka where local residents are staying currently, as their flats are flooded," Shetty said while speaking to mid-day on Sunday evening.

"I have been living in Vasai for the past 32 years. The Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) is the worst. They don't care about people. Since there is no corporator at present, the municipal commissioner should have done something to relieve us of this agony," said an elderly man staying near H colony, requesting anonymity.

He stayed at a hotel for three days after rainwater entered his flat on the ground floor. "It was impossible to live in 2-ft-high mucky water," he said.

Gangaram Haldankar with wife Priti and their son Samarth outside their flat in C Colony

Now back at his home, he said, "My house is in a mess. My belongings are destroyed and the area is stinking. Is the municipal commissioner sleeping? This is really disgusting that civic officials do nothing despite being paid well," he added.

Residents said they have been buying packaged drinking water.

Many office-goers decided to work from home, but they could not for longer as the power supply was disrupted.

Chulne still flooded

"The rainwater has not receded even though there has been no heavy rainfall in the past two days. The area is stinking and this situation will persist till December. Civic officials should think about our safety. Where will we go with our families?" asked Sebastian Assao, a resident of Chulne village.

Prakash Pevekar, a resident of C Colony, in his waterlogged home

The area has been flooding every monsoon for the past 23 years due to government apathy and lack of proper drainage system, residents said.

Sister Gloria Fernandes, principal of Nishkalanka Convent School at Papdy village in Vasai, told mid-day, "We are 10 people, including a woman in her 80s, at the school with the ground floor inundated. We had to shift a lot of things to the first floor. We are pumping out water from the premises."

"Not a single civic official has visited us to see the conditions we are staying here. This is really horrible," she added.

‘You tell me...'

When mid-day pointed out residents' plight and complaint, VVCMC commissioner Anilkumar Pawar said, "You have been highlighting only the negative things, but the flooding is everywhere. Situation is bad in Bhiwandi, too."

Pawar added, "Vasai-Virar and Nalasopara have faced heavy rainfall and there was a red alert for the area. Rainwater could not recede as there is high tide in the sea. We had cleaned all the drains vertically and horizontally before monsoon but what can we do if there is a high tide?"

On yearly flooding of Chulne village, Pawar scoffed, "This is a low-lying area where rainwater gets accumulated. You suggest what can be done and how we should resolve the issue?"

Rs 2,000
Amount per day Dubeys are paying on hotel stay