Mumbai: Metro work floods Chembur complex with filthy water

Sewage has been seeping into Swastik Chambers in Chembur which houses corporate offices for over a month attracting mosquitoes Despite efforts from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC and those working on the premises the situation has not improved due to an underlying issue stemming from Metro work in the areaView this post on InstagramA post shared by midday middayindiaIndrajeet Powar who works as a senior associate architect at Design Cooperative a firm located at Swastik Chambers said ldquoI was diagnosed with malaria around midMay Though I had caught it from where I live I fear that it will relapse as I have to come to work every day The mosquito menace is unbearable and if the authorities are unable to find a permanent solution soon many are bound to fall sick as the rainfall is not continuous and water gets stagnated every time the rain stopsrdquoSewage on the premises of the complex which is located along the Metro 2B alignment on Monday PicsShadab KhanThough the BMC and employees themselves have been trying to drain the water and keep the premises dry the problem is far from solved ldquoWhile the BMC has been helpful in pumping the water whenever we ring them up these efforts go in vain as water accumulates as soon as it rains Itrsquos like wiping the floor when the tap is on Even yesterday Monday evening the drain was declogged and huge quantities of sludge were removed And when the rain stopped today Tuesday morning our premises started drying up But water in the drain is still to the brim indicating that the drainage system is not completely clean as yet The water level should have been five feet lower than it was and water from Mondayrsquos rainfall should have already been carried forward by now since it has not rained today Tuesday But because the drain is filled with so much debris and sludge even after removing large quantities of waste the water stayed put After one heavy shower all that has been removed from the drains will be back inside and more which will undoubtedly create more problemsrdquo said Jaya Goyal a social scientist who has a PhD degree and runs two firms in Swastik ChambersEmployees of firms located at Swastik Chambers on the premises of the corporate complexAnother Design Cooperative architect Vaibhavi Shirsat said ldquoSince our office is on the first floor we are forced to shut our windows throughout the day cutting off fresh air and ventilationrdquo Sandeep Chindaliya who works as a driver for one of the firms at Swastik Chambers said that he sits inside the car all day due to the prevalence of mosquitoes ldquoEvery day all drivers who work here apply a lot of mosquito repellent creams and come to work risking our lives We do not have any option other than sitting inside the car for the entire day with windows and doors shut Some offices allow us to use the AC but some drivers are only allowed to do this for some time Then it gets very difficultrdquo he saidBMC SpeakManish Pawar the M ward officer said ldquoThe opening of the drain was filled with debris from the Metro construction So with the help of the contractorrsquos people we cleaned the drain yesterday Monday evening and today Tuesday morning But since it has rained heavily all of Monday it will take time for all the water to drain We do not think the problem will continue now that the drain is cleanrdquoA drain on the premises that was still filled to the brim with rainwater on Tuesday PicJAYA GOYALEfforts in vainWhen midday visited the location on Monday afternoon the premises were waterlogged Also photos shared by employees on Tuesday showed that despite rigorous efforts the drain was still filled with Mondayrsquos rainwater owing to the large amount of sludge choking the drain ldquoThis has been a problem for many months now We do not know when there will be a permanent solution The sewage water flows back again once it starts raining heavily because even when the BMC pumps out the water and cleans some part of the drain itrsquos not enough The entire drain needs to be thoroughly cleaned for the rainwater to pass through immediately once it starts raining Such kneejerk efforts are of no use and there has to be some permanent solution to this problem mdash and it needs to be sought soonrdquo said Goyal