Mumbai: Mankhurd’s Cheeta Camp still struggles with clogged nullahs, garbage, and unfinished roads

Local activist Asif Sayyed at the garbage-choked backwaters in Mankhurd’s Cheeta Camp. Pics/By Special Arrangement

Mankhurd's Cheeta Camp continues to reel under years of neglect, with residents grappling with unfinished roads, clogged nullahs, and an 800-metre stretch of backwaters choked with garbage.

While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) undertook partial clean-up work over the past six months, including desilting and unclogging nullahs, the early onset of the monsoon brought the efforts to a halt.

When mid-day contacted officials earlier this year, residents were assured that cleaning would resume immediately after the monsoon. However, locals say no fresh work has begun so far.

Backstory

Since January 2025, Dharmesh Barai, founder of the Environment Life Foundation, along with local activist Asif Sayyed, has repeatedly approached authorities seeking comprehensive cleaning of the area's nullahs and backwaters.

Heaps of accumulated garbage line the 800-metre stretch of backwaters at Cheeta Camp

Residents said even a brief spell of rain causes drain water to back up into homes. Following a mid-day report earlier this year, authorities cleaned roughly half the problem areas, focusing only on the nullahs, while the garbage-filled backwaters remained untouched.

A hard stop

With the early arrival of the monsoon, residents were hoping the backwaters would also be cleared, as accumulated solid waste traps stagnant water and turns the area into a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

"Children play here, and people live right next to the water. Every monsoon, we see multiple cases of mosquito-borne diseases. We are asking for a proper one-time clean-up. After that, we will do our best to keep the area clean, but right now our efforts alone are not enough," said Sayyed.

Frustration among locals is growing. "If the clean-up does not begin soon, we will be forced to sit on a hunger strike outside the BMC M East ward office. Another year like this will only worsen water pollution, and garbage will start entering our homes," Sayyed said.

Hurdles and officials speak

Sachin More, round officer with the Navi Mumbai Mangrove Range Forest Office, said coordination issues were delaying the work. "We have held two meetings with the BMC, and it was decided that both agencies would jointly clean the area. However, we are yet to receive the final go-ahead," More said.

He added that the delay was being attributed to the lack of a dumping site for the garbage and debris expected to be cleared from the 800-metre stretch. "We were initially told that land near Panvel would be used, but there has been no update since. We are sending another letter to the BMC and hope the work can start within two weeks," he said.

Barai criticised the explanation, calling it unacceptable. "It is shocking that the BMC claims it does not know where to dump garbage. There is a solid waste management department for exactly such situations," he said.

Highlighting the environmental impact, Barai added, "Garbage floats from Mankhurd all the way to Navi Mumbai and even into Thane Creek. In some places, you cannot even see mangrove roots without digging through waste. This is destroying our natural buffer that protects Mumbai's coastline." mid-day contacted the BMC's M East ward for a response, but no reply was received till press time.