Mumbai: ‘Sewage from towers flowing right into our backyard’

Kia Park Apartments is one of the 13 residential towers in Prathmesh Complex on Veera Desai Road

On the one hand, the BMC is ready to spend thousands of crores to keep Mumbai's drains and rivers free of sewage and on the other, it refuses to believe the residents of Kia Park Apartments are living alongside a nullah bringing filth from nearby slums and towers. Countless letters sent to the ward office over the past seven years have been ignored, complained residents. KIA Park is one of the 13 residential towers in Prathmesh Complex on Veera Desai Road.

In multiple letters to the K West ward office, residents have pointed out how many residential and office buildings don't have a sewer connection. While some are dependent on septic tanks, a few have been releasing their sewage into open drains because the BMC did not take action against them, residents complained.

"After repetitive complaints through our corporator, we started writing to the BMC in 2016. We specifically stated how sewage from the adjoining building is flowing into our society. Initially, they said it was rainwater. But the drain never dries up, even in scorching summer, which proves there is another source of wastewater," said Vaishali Joshi, a resident of Kia Park.

Also Read: Patwardhan Park: Key meeting put off a second time

Most residential buildings in Prathmesh Complex are still dependent on septic tanks. Pics/Nimesh Dave

"On the one hand, the BMC speaks of health hazards that open sewage lines and waste pose, and on the other, it ignores our complaints of a drain bringing filth from adjoining buildings to our society," said Mona Saini, another Kia Park resident.

No action

"In the recent letter to the BMC, we pointed out the towers that are releasing their waste into the area behind Kia Park compound. It is the BMC's duty to issue notices to the buildings concerned to stop releasing sewage into the open drain. Instead, they are just forwarding letters from one department to another," said another resident.

"These buildings are on the lower level of the ground and so water directly enters the society premises. There are towers with offices and I don't know why the BMC doesn't take action against them. I tried to solve the issue by upgrading the storm water drains and even got the compound wall erected through the MLA fund," said Ranjana Patil, who was the corporator from the area from 2017 to 2022.

Rajul Patel, who was the corporator from 1997 to 2002, told mid-day the entire area was a quarry and was developed after 2002. "The area, including roads, was under private builders and that's why there wasn't any sewer line in the initial years. But the residents are paying property and sewer taxes and it is the BMC's duty to provide sewer lines to everyone, including the buildings on the Hill Park from where the sewage is coming," she said.

The drain with sewage from adjacent buildings and slums flows behind Kia Park Apartments on Veera Desai Road, Andheri West

A civic official from K West initially said the drain is for rainwater. But, later he agreed that the sewage was flowing into the nullah. "We will take details on the source of sewage," said the official. Prithviraj Chauhan, assistant commissioner (K West), remained tight-lipped despite several calls and detailed messages from mid-day.

Septic tanks

"Most of the buildings on the premises are at least 20 years old with occupation certificates. We have 10 septic tanks, but a few of them are old and we have to clean them every two months. Besides paying sewer taxes, we are spending money on cleaning the tanks. The BMC recently constructed sewer lines under our roads. Now the civic body is saying that we have to take connections inside the premises, but the charges are too high. Why should we pay?" said Sanjita Prasad, chief of the committee of Prathmesh Complex.

2016
Year when residents first wrote to the BMC