Mumbai's Gorai water crisis persists despite MLA intervention

Civic workers clean a pipeline to address the water woes of those residing between Shefali bus stop and Vale in Gorai. Pics/By Special Arrangement

After this newspaper highlighted how the area between the Shefali bus stop and Vale in Gorai hadn't been supplied water for the past 12 years, residents claim that the area MLA, Sanjay Upadhyay, took up the work and recently sent workers to the area to check water pipelines for blockages.

Blockages were eventually found - as locals suspected - and removed on Friday, but all hopes were dashed, as the problem persisted, indicating that the water supply issue requires much deeper attention from the civic body. mid-day contacted the R Central ward officer to get to the bottom of the issue, but received no reply by press time.

Locals speak

Royston Godinho, who lives near the spot where unblocking work took place
‘Not even air is flowing through the pipes, which are as dry as a bone. The BMC needs to clean them mechanically by flushing them'

A Gorai resident, who requested anonymity
‘The summer season is here. If we run out of water in the afternoon, venturing outside is harrowing. When the inspection happened on Friday, I was hopeful that the water supply would start soon, but now we are back in the same loop'