This lot hasn’t bathed for 4 days

A MHADA society building has not received water since Thursday; residents caught between MHADA's inaction and BMC's helplessness

This lot hasn't bathed for 4 days

A MHADA society building has not received water since Thursday; residents caught between MHADA's inaction and BMC's helplessness

Close to 240 residents of a MHADA building in Tardeo haven't had a bath for over four days now. No, this isn't a new form of protest, but an indication of how bad the water situation is in their part of the city. Maniyar C2, one of four buildings that make up the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority Society in Tardeo, has been receiving intermittent water supply in the past year. But since last Thursday, they haven't received a single drop, forcing the residents of the 48 flats in the building to go without a bath.

Over 240 residents of the Maniyar C2 building of the MHADA Society in
Tardeo have had to go without water for four days. Pic/Sayed Sameer
Abedi

Sandhya Gade, a 37 year-old housewife, who lives on the fifth floor of the building said, "I have been living here for 15 years and I've faced a problem since the first day. After complaining to the BMC, we receive good water supply for a few days. Then, it comes down to receiving water only for 10-15 minutes in the mornings. How much water can we fill in such a small amount of time?"u00a0 In the past four days, Gade has been visiting her parent's home in Badlapur to wash her family's clothes and bathe.

Gade's neighbour Usha Dubey said, "It has become very difficult to live in this building. No one is ready to help us ufffd neither the BMC nor the corporator." "We have got all the storage facilities in the houseu00a0-- from drums, buckets and pots to an overhead tank. But, if there isn't any water, then what's the use? The BMC asks us to prepare for water cuts by storing water, but we don't get water here at all," said an angry third floor resident.

However, another resident on condition of anonymity said that the fault does not lie with the BMC. "Although everyone is suffering, only four or five residents make the effort of going to the corporator, the BMC and MHADA. The BMC is not at fault as their pipelines are intact. The reason we're not getting water is because our water meters are faulty, which only the MHADA can repair. They haven't done so yet, and till they do, the BMC cannot supply water."

The residents wrote a letter to the MHADA authorities last month, asking them to replace their water meter. Nothing has been done yet. "Our corporator has given us permission to dig an underground storage tank but we are still awaiting the NOC that the MHADA needs to give us to go ahead with the project," he added.

Corporator Arvind Bane said, "The BMC has done whatever it can. I have requested MHADA officials to repair the water meter and build a storage tank for the residents of the building, but nothing has been done yet. It is not the BMC's job to repair water meters of MHADA buildings. I don't control the MHADA."u00a0 A BMC official from the Hydraulic Department said, "We checked the pipeline after the residents complained of a lack of water, but it was fine."

Executive engineer MHADA N Gadkari, who is incharge of the ward in which this building lies said, "Nothing has been finalised about the underground storage tank. As for the meter, I will check with my officials and carry out the work as soon as possible."