Despite their sense of humour, the nearly 50-year-old problem of waterlogging at a Khar society is no laughing matter for its 200-odd residents
Despite their sense of humour, the nearly 50-year-old problem of waterlogging at a Khar society is no laughing matter for its 200-odd residents
While the rest of the city waits for the Monsoon's arrival with bated breath, residents of Jay Bharat Society in Khar (West) view the advancing grey clouds with an uneasy dread.
For, life comes to a halt for the nearly 200 residents in the rainy season, every rainy season for the last 50 years.
Societies have been battling the waterlogging situation
for nearly 50 years, but no action has been taken
despite numerous complaints to the BMC
Tired of complaining to the BMC and other concerned authorities about the water accumulation in their society and on the road outside, which floods the houses of those on the ground floor and nearly submerges all the residents' vehicles, some house owners have begun to make light of their plight.
"Heavy rains are our biggest nightmare. It looks like the BMC has converted Jay Bharat Society into a Khar Lake of sorts and, for all you know, they may be planning to provide a swimming instructor to train our residents in getting through the perennially flooded compound and road.
If we're lucky, senior citizens in the society may get boats to evacuate them in case of an emergency, which is bound to happen sooner or later as the situation only gets worse every year," said Surinder Khubchandani, a resident.
Residents who do not share Khubchandani's sense of humour, however, say they are fed up with the authorities' inaction.
"The society has been facing a waterlogging problem since 50 years and no action has been taken despite numerous complaints to the BMC and other concerned government departments.
The entire road gets blocked with 2 feet or more of water during the monsoons and the recent incessant rain has led to our society and the road getting flooded for the third time this season alone," said Dr Atul Shah.
"The water comes up to the waist in the compound, we cannot step out out of our buildings and our cars get submerged.
Life, quite literally, comes to a grinding halt for us," he added.
The water flows from the compound to the road outside, from where it supposed to pass through the drains under the railway tracks and into the Chamdawadi Nullah in Bandra.
Residents, however, say that due to the narrow drains under the tracks, the water flows back into the society.
"All sort of correspondence has been done and we have complained to everybody from the municipal commissioner to the senior officials in the railways.
We get assurances but no results", said Rahul Pai, the society's secretary.
The Other Side
"We have a written a letter to the railways asking them to widen the drain so that more water can flow through," said M Kshirsagar, the local ward officer. Corporator Kavita Rodriques said, "The residents won't get relief unless the railways do something about the problem."
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