Every monsoon, several women in four chawls of former Swadeshi Mill workers, which consist of 45 to 50 houses, deal with ruptured skin due to infections on their feet, making it painful to walk. The cause of these infections is the salty water that inundates their homes through gaps in the tiles, further mixed with contaminated water that enters when the drainage is not cleared.

While the water also affects the men in the area to a minor extent, the most impacted are the women due to housework. Their feet are submerged in water for most of the day. “Who else will look after cleaning and cooking in the house? It is only when the water fills up considerably that men help to throw it out; otherwise, it is only us. The men either sit on the furniture or step out,” said 45-year-old Usha Pengle, whose feet were completely swollen until a couple of days ago.