The price of living in a high-rise in Mumbai

Living at an elevation comes with a cost mdash not just in terms of crores of rupees pricetagged onto those swanky apartments in the cityrsquos posh highrises but also with respect to the baggage that comes along From waiting for a long time for elevators to extreme noise pollution and a feeling of isolation residents find themselves caught between cloudnine dreams and reallife problemsA 2013 report by Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health states that those living in urban areas have a 40 per cent increased risk of depression and double the chances of schizophrenia Another recent study by Eindhoven University of Technology states that highrise apartments create unpleasant social impacts ldquoIn highrise apartment buildings the private territory is divided from the public territory and people are psychologically separated from the groundrdquo according to the studyAmisha Sanghani with the cracked window which the developer is washing his hands ofSafety is one of primary reasons why they chose an apartment in such housing societies residents of highrise buildings say in one voice ldquoWe hear about incidents such as thefts and housebreaking but in our society no salesmen are allowed which restricts uninvited people from reaching our homes Additionally guests house help delivery agents mdash everyone is checked and entry of every person is registered at the main gate Also we have advanced CCTV surveillance All this together makes for a safer stay as compared to the apartments we stayed in earlierrdquo says Shaheen Desai who lives on the 45th floor of Alpine Sarova Tower in KandivaliThe view is something that one would die for mdash rather pay for ldquoWe were living in a bungalow at Upper Malad and shifted to this house oneandahalf years ago My mornings and evenings have turned blissful since then The view is just breathtaking and sometimes the sky decides to surprise us with many beautiful shades of orange blue purple and yellowrdquo says Vedika Chaubey an advocate who stays on the 40th floor of Oberoi Exquisite in GoregaonAmenities are another aspect that attracts buyers ldquoToday other than in such towers you cannot find a gym swimming pool and sports facilities in your residential complex Also almost everyone has at least one car if not more and highrise complexes such as ours provide proper safe closed and sufficient parking facilitiesrdquo adds Vedikarsquos husband Akhilesh Chaubey also an advocateAkhilesh Chaubey says amenities are another plus point of highrise complexesEmergencies are a cause for concern in highrises ldquoA few months ago my daughter heated oil on the stove and it caught fire We threw water over it in a panic which only increased the flames We called the fire brigade but they did not have a ladder long enough to reach the 54th floor and they had to take the fire elevator We managed to douse the flames by the time they reached our houserdquo shares Hiral Shah a resident of Auris Serenity a highrise building in MaladWhile the Mumbai Fire Brigade MFB has been upgraded with ladders that can reach up to 90 metres around 22 storeys including parking floors Chief Fire Officer Ravindra Ambulgekar says residents would do well to have small fire extinguishers at home and also get trained about extinguisher usage and fire safetyAmisha Sanghani who also stays on the 45th floor of Alpine Sarova Tower shares ldquoA couple of weeks ago our children called us saying that there were cracks in the living room windowpane When my husband and I returned from work we were shocked to see that the window glass had cracks all over We immediately approached our developer who had installed the windows as we are not allowed to change them However he refused to change them claiming that they were damaged because of our negligence But when we consulted our interior designers they clearly stated that this disaster is a result of either heavy wind pressure or strong sunlight Now we are stuck staring at a huge hole in our pockets as these are heavy toughenedglass windowsrdquo vents SanghaniShaheen Desai talks about the upsides and downsides of living tallSharing other problems that one may miss or overlook Akhilesh Chaubey mentions ldquoOnly after shifting here we realised that there are a few things that we did not pay attention to while buying this house For instance we did check that there are two elevators dedicated to firemen but we did not realise that if there is a fire then is likely to be a panic situation where people will run helterskelter and practically going down 40 floors by steps is impossible While other lifts will stop functioning these fire lifts will also be unavailable for the residents as they will be needed for evacuation of elderly pregnant and handicapped personsrdquoThe residents also mention that though staying at such heights does give them good ventilation once they close the windows especially during evenings and monsoon season they have to depend on air conditioners ldquoWe enjoy the breeze But when it gets too windy we have to close the windows and since itrsquos a glass faccedilade it immediately becomes hot inside and then we have to turn on our ACs Also the windowpanes are thick and heavy which makes it difficult for children and the elderly to close themrdquo observes DesaiBesides residents also fear for childrenrsquos safety ldquoThere are chances of children getting hurt as the doors even when put on stoppers bang intensely due to the wind which can hurt children who play around in the house Also while we buy such homes for the view ultimately it gets compromised even if we get invisible grilles fixed which we have to do in the interest of our childrenrsquos safetyrdquo says SanghaniMental health experts have stated that they have seen quite a few cases where patients have made several complaints after they began living in their luxurious highrise apartments ldquoI have seen patients who realised that they have a fear of lifts mainly that they are claustrophobic only once they began staying at such heights and started using elevators daily to go up to 40th and 50th floors Also I treated a few children with medication and therapy as they developed severe anxiety after getting stuck in the elevatorsrdquo says Dr Rashmi JoshiShetty consultant psychiatristChaubey adds ldquoWhen we used to stay in a bungalow many people would visit us often Even my wifersquos colleagues would visit us randomly while passing by But now after we shifted here our social life has reduced by 70 per cent Our friends sometimes say the security checks and recording entries make them drop the idea of visiting usrdquo The very height of the building itself can be a factor that puts people off Manish Udutha 29 says that while he is fascinated by these highrises he is also afraid at the same time as he has acrophobia fear of heightsldquoEven though I can afford a highrise flat I canrsquot buy one because of my phobiardquo he says ldquoOf courserdquo he adds ldquothere is a choice of buying a house on the lower floors in a highrise apartment However I cannot stay higher than four to five floors The fourth floor technically means the sixth or seventh floor in a highrise as two or three floors from the ground are for parking Also several apartments I saw on the first three floors of some buildings lack good ventilation and natural sunlight I would rather buy a house which is in good condition in the resale market But now even older buildings are undergoing redevelopment so I donrsquot know how long I will be able to live in this city considering my phobiardquoWhile it is true that vertical expansion is the only option left for developers in Mumbai environmentalists warn of the dangers that these vertical jungles are bringing along India experienced an unprecedented summer with temperatures soaring to 40degC or higher in many regionsUnfortunately relief is not in sight as a recent report by the India Meteorological Department IMD predicts that the duration of heat waves across most parts of the country could increase by 12 to 18 days by the year 2060 ldquoUrban structures like highrise buildings roads and pavements absorb and reemit more solar heat compared to green spaces such as forests and wetlands This results in higher temperatures in cities and towns relative to nearby rural areas a phenomenon known as the Urban Heat Island Effect UHIE In fact the average annual air temperature in a city with a population of one million or more can be up to 6degC higher than its surroundings hence urban summers become significantly hotterrdquo explained Prasad Vaidya director of Solar Decathlon India Sustainable Energy Lab at the Indian Institute of Human Settlements IIHSThe experts also explain that with highrises taking up so much ground space there is no scope for the wind to flow properly This in turn increases the land temperatures making the city hotter Dealing with issues such as claustrophobia inside an apartment on a higher floor needs smart use of space and natural light say experts ldquoThere are a few ways in which architects and interior designers can support people with claustrophobia by helping design the space suitablyrdquo says Mumbaibased architect Gopal ZaverildquoAvoid walls and partitions as much as you can so that the place becomes open and spacious Open kitchens and flexible partitions can be used Very often the windows and balconies are behind the sofa and the living room is designed in a way that leads us to face the wall which again gives a feeling of obstruction and closedness Instead design the room in such a way that when you sit on the sofa you face the window from where you can see the outside Also the height of ceilings over a period of time has reduced Use maximum height possible mdash avoiding use of false ceilings is one difficult but practical optionrdquo Zaveri suggests4037Increased risk of depression faced by urban dwellers2060Year by when the duration of heat waves across most parts of the country could increase by 12 to 18 days as predicted by the India Meteorological Department