Mumbai: Stinky sewage irks Dahisar residents; BMC indifferent

The open drains of a building in Dahisar West have led to stench and filth crossing over into its neighbourhood; difference in land elevation blamed for drainage issue

Residents of three buildings in Navagaon area of Dahisar West are a troubled lot, owing to 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 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for the past eight months have gone unheard. With the onset of the monsoon, the troubles have increased as the drainage water poses health risks to locals.

Residents of Rukmini Niwas, Silver Bells and Yellow Ribbon, with a total of around 200 flats, are facing the issue from the open sewage of Shreeji Apartment located on the main road. The septic tank behind the building has been overflowing with water entering into the 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. Illegal dumping of construction debris into the open drain has made matters worse.

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"I have been following up on this issue for around 10 months now. Every time I visit the civic body, I am redirected from one department to another. Several letters have been written to different civic authorities too but to no avail. We can't keep our windows open anymore due to the mosquito menace the filth has brought. The rear side of our society remains secluded owing to the strong stench," said Francis Dias, secretary of Rukmini Niwas which has 85 flats.

Kishor Kamat pointing to the spot from where water seeps in, making it difficult to even pass by this place. Pics/Satej Shinde

Chairman of the society, Lavey D'Costa, said, "Other than health hazards, there is a security issue too. There is a barren plot next to our compound. Drug addicts often frequent it and thieves would have a great escape from there. So we built a fencing wall following suggestions by local police. If this waters keeps seeping in, our fencing wall will not sustain. Parking of vehicles here too is no more feasible.

An empty space between the three buildings was used as a playground by children earlier. "Nobody can use that space now as there is sewage water flowing from one side of the ground," said the secretary of Silver Bells society, Ivan Crasto.

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'Not our fault either'

Residents of Shreeji Apartment too are stressed over this as their efforts to get their building's sewage pipe connected with the civic body's drain have been put on hold for years. Secretary of Shreeji Apartment, Kishor Kamat, said, "It is due to the elevation of our building which is lower than the road levels. One solution is to have our drain cross across the compounds of a couple of buildings for which we are not getting a nod from them. Whenever we approach the BMC to resolve our drainage issue, we are told that our builder should have done it."

He added, "We spend so much money in maintenance of the drainage system which includes cleaning of the septic tank, ducts and also the flow and also paying the BMC charges for drainage system which we are not even using." Assistant Commissioner R-North ward, Sandhya Nandedkar told mid-day that her staff had visited the area after receiving a complaint. "A notice will be sent to Shreeji Apartment to ensure the maintenance of their septic tank. It is the society's responsibility to continuously clean it and ensure hygiene."

No. of flats in the three buildings that have complained to BMC: 200

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