BMC, don't shrug off city's drainage problems

The Municipal Corporation Building or the BMC building in South Mumbai. Pic/Getty Images

Residents of three buildings in Navagaon area of Dahisar West are troubled. This is because of the open sewage drain of a neighbouring residential building seeping into their compounds through the fencing wall. Residents have alleged that several requests to the BMC for the past eight months have gone unheeded. A report in this paper cited the problems for locals thanks to the drainage.

Residents of three buildings said the septic tank behind a building has been overflowing with water entering into neighbouring buildings' premises before heading into the Mithi River. The problem, locals said, has been existing for years now since Shreeji Apartment is unable to connect its sewage drainage with that of the civic body's due to its location. Dumping of construction debris into the open drain has compounded matters.

The BMC now needs to take firm action without wasting any time. In the report it is said that BMC officials would visit the site and then instruct the building committee from where the sewage water is emanating to do something about it. We need a more proactive approach because this can lead to the building residents professing helplessness and the BMC digging in its heels that this is a private building problem.

Monsoon has arrived and the fear of diseases is compounded this season. Take into account too, the mosquito menace that doubles and triples in these months. This effectively means that by ignoring this, you are turning a blind eye to a site that will be a breeding ground for health hazards.

Find a solution to this knotty problem which has been festering for years. People cannot be subjected to living with stench and unhygienic conditions with everybody shrugging their shoulders, when asked for a way out. For a start, stop the dumping of construction debris in the open drain, and then move on from there.

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