As the burgeoning number of containment zones in K-West ward become unmanageable, BMC seals off huge swathes between Juhu and Jogeshwari West, including 7 big slums with 1.21 lakh people
A BMC sign in Nehru Nagar announcing containment zones
The BMC has decided to seal entire areas instead of small pockets with a few houses in K West ward as the number of containment zones increased here. This includes seven slum pockets with a total of 1,21,780 people. It has also decided to erect towers for better management of the CZs in the ward. The towers will come up within two-three days and will have a public address system for communication.
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As the number of containment zones in K West ward increased from 59 on April 19 to 255 on May 9, the ward officer decided to seal whole areas instead of small pockets of 50 to 100 houses. Out of the 255 Containment Zones about 73 fall into the slum pockets, so now these areas will be completely sealed for a minimum of 14 days along with Juhu Koliwada, where only two cases have been reported. "The aim is to monitor and manage the area with less positive patients," said Vishwas Mote, assistant commissioner of K west ward. The BMC will erect the watch towers as a request has come from the police for effective management of crowds in small gullies of slums.
The BMC on Monday sealed seven slum pockets with a total of 1,21,780 people as the number of COVID-19 patients was gradually increasing in K West ward. These slum pockets include - Nehru Nagar, Versova, Anand Nagar, Gaondevi Dongri (Gilbert Hill), Juhu Koliwada, Junaid Nagar/Samata Nagar and Juhu Galli. The ward also comprises Vile Parle West, Andheri West and Jogeshwari west.
A police barricade at Juhu Galli in K West ward. These areas will be sealed for a minimum of 14 days
Newly-appointed Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has ordered target-oriented effective management of CZs in his two marathon meetings with BMC officers on Sunday and Monday. K west ward started implementing the order from Monday.
Slums sealed
"In order to reduce the spread of the novel Coronavirus, seven slum pockets were identified and completely sealed from Monday. The BMC, with the help of the police, will erect watch towers for co-ordinators of these sealed areas," said Mote, assistant commissioner of K west ward. While the height of the towers hasn’t been decided yet, he added that the watch towers will be temporary structures made up of bamboos with a shed to help staff supervise properly. Spots are being finalised in consultation with the police and the towers will come up there within two-three days. A public address system will be provided in the watch towers. There are small gullies in the slums and a lot of movement happens inside such areas which the police cannot always be there to handle, so the watch towers will help.
Teams appointed
Apart from the watch towers, as per the municipal commissioner’s instructions, one dedicated team has been appointed for each sealed area, and it is authorised to take necessary decisions. Essential services will be coordinated through this team with the participation of local volunteers and the community. The team manager will monitor the shifting of positive patients either in hospitals or in Corona Care Centres, and high-risk contacts into institutional quarantine. "The team leader and the concerned police officer shall act as the guardian for the area and a senior executive and a senior inspector will take all decisions in order to have effective containment of the area," said Mote.
A street in Gilbert Hill lane, Juhu Galli, which is among the seven sealed slums. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar
A person will be appointed by the Solid Waste Management Department per toilet, per shift, to clean and disinfect the common toilets in the slums to avoid transmission of the disease. It was not possible to find the exact number of common toilets in the slums. However, a slum in Versova has only one.
Milk and meds to be supplied
The BMC will supply milk and medicines as essentials. "Grocery will be made available through packets and even from rationing stores, as required," said Mote. People are hopeful the watch towers will make a difference. "People don’t listen. A crowd gathers after police rounds are over. The police can’t make rounds in gullies every now and then. The number of positive patients has increased to 54 now and the situation is worsening. Our local MLA has written a letter to the CM requesting the same measures as in Worli Koliwada be applied to Versova," said Sunil Bole, a resident of Versova Koliwada. He added the watch towers will be helpful to keep watch on everyone.
However, a resident of Juhu Galli had a different view of the sealing. "There are around 2,500 houses in the area with 1 lakh population. The BMC must be sealing only a small part of it. The sealing should have been done before, now the situation is out of control. Complete sealing is not possible as there are thousands of small gullies and you can’t seal each and every pathway," said Prasad Ayre, a resident of Juhu Galli. He added the houses are small and people often come out for fresh air.
Juhu Koliwada, a small pocket with only two patients, was also sealed. "Our area is distinctly separated from the other pockets," said Pandudada Mangela, a local koli. "The area has been sealed on an the experimental basis to see how we can manage to control the disease before it can spread," said Mote.
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