Nullah cleaning should be round-the-year activity

This picture has been used for representational purposes

This paper reported on an incident that had Andheri East on edge. A woman had fallen into a deep nullah or drain near Sahar. She was mired in the drain which was filled with cement sludge. The Metro Line 3 station work is currently on near the site.

There is debate on whether the woman had fallen or deliberately jumped in. That though is outside the ambit of this edit. What is important is that a social worker descended into the pit with the help of a ladder, while the police were awaiting the fire brigade, and brought the woman out of the nullah. The saviour claimed in our report that the nullah had little water, but he was four feet deep in sludge-cement. Pictures and videos shore up that claim.

Metro officials claim that they clean the nullah regularly, but we need to see much more alacrity with reference to this. It is not just this nullah that needs attention, but those across the city that need very quick response when it comes to cleaning and debris. Last year, there were reports about how citizens could complain via app, if cleaning and desilting work of nullahs had not been done, even if civic authorities claimed to have done so.

Every time the monsoon season comes around, we see a flurry of activity with reports assuring citizens of nullahs having been cleaned. This must be a year-round activity and citizens, too, need to desist from using nullahs like convenient dustbins. In the event of infra work, like in this instance, we want those in charge to move quicker when it comes to cleaning.

While signage and warnings may be there, some glow lights, especially at night near nullahs will also be helpful. For locals, tread safely. For authorities, our message is take charge and ownership of all aspects of the area under your watch.