While they suffer from a dearth of drinking water at home, residents of Andheri East are forced to trudge through an excess of water on the roads due to shoddy upkeep of drains
Spread across a vast 28 sq km in Andheri East, the K-East ward is home to corporate offices, residential colonies and slum pockets. But what marks this ward apart is the fact that it is a catchment area for the Mithi river — a feature that often turns into a bane for local residents who have to put up with frequent waterlogging.
Waterlogging worries: This ward has 17 major nullas and 30 minor nullas, and keeping them clean and desilted has been one of the biggest challenges for the BMC. Locals, however, feel that the authorities are carrying out this crucial duty properly, leading to waterlogging in several areas, like Pump House near Western Express Highway, near the east side of the Andheri station and Shanti nagar near Mahakali Caves Road. Many are of the opinion that the storm water drainage system needs to be improved to solve this problem.
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Stalls and hawkers encroach upon the footpath outside Jogeshwari station (east side), forcing pedestrians to walk on the road. Pics/Nimesh Dave
Water woes: While locals have to deal with an excess of water pooling on the roads, at home, it's the complete opposite. One of their major complaints is that they simply do not get enough water. Although water supply is regular, the pressure is not adequate, making it difficult for them to fill enough of it within the fixed time, particularly in slum pockets at Meghwadi, Marol, Chimatpada near Marol, Subhash Nagar near Mahakali.
Vehicles plough through the waterlogged stretch under the Western Express Highway Metro station
Commuter concerns: There are a total of 63 major roads and 242 minor roads in this ward, and every year, their condition goes from bad to worse, particularly in the monsoon. While concretisation work is underway at many places, internal roads in areas like Gundawli, Marol Police Camp, the Ismail Yusuf College area, Mograpada, Poonam Nagar, are in a pretty bad condition. Pedestrians have their own share of problems, with rampant encroachment on footpaths outside the Andheri, Jogeshwari and Vile Parle railway stations. Pavements at Marol, JB Nagar, Sahar Village, Chakala and Poonam Nagar are similarly encroached.
Toilet troubles: With several slum pockets at Gundawli, Mahakali Caves, Subhash Nagar, Shanti Nagar, Marol pipeline, Chakala, Pump House and Sahar, one of the major problems in this ward is the lack of public toilets, leading to open defecation. Locals living in these slum pockets want more community toilets to be constructed and also demand that the existing ones be maintained better.
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