'No drain cleaning for 15 days': Dongri residents slam BMC

Nishanpada in Dongri, where garbage has allegedly been lying uncollected for days. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

[popcorn number=" 15 " desc=" No. of days sanitation issue has persisted" class="Default"]

Residents of Nishanpada in Dongri have alleged that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has failed to clean their locality for the past 15 days, resulting in overflowing drains, stagnant water and a sharp increase in mosquito breeding, raising fears of vector-borne diseases.

According to locals, garbage has accumulated around clogged gutters, while rainwater mixed with sewage has spilt onto internal roads. "We have been calling the ward office and lodging complaints regularly with the corporator, but nobody has come to clean the drains. The stagnant water has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Children and senior citizens are the worst affected," said local resident Aslam Malkani.

Another resident, Ashfaque, said, "Every evening the mosquito menace becomes unbearable. We keep our doors and windows shut, but it is still impossible to escape the bites. The authorities should not wait for an outbreak before taking action."

Doctor's concerns

Dr A Wahab, a general physician practising in Dongri, said the number of patients with mosquito-borne illnesses has increased significantly recently. "In the past two to three weeks alone, I have examined more than 40 patients suffering from either dengue or malaria. Under normal circumstances, this is roughly the total number of such cases I see over the entire four-month monsoon season. This unusual rise indicates increased mosquito breeding in the locality," he said.

‘Not a one-way street'

While BMC officials said they did not have enough staff in proportion to size of the area, they also stated that residents severely lacked civic sense. "Residents throw garbage directly from their windows. This obviously clogs the drains. Daily cleaning efforts also go to vain because of this. We have planned a squad that would go on a cleaning round at night, too, as this area also has several commercial outlets that dump trash on streets daily. We have decided to begin with them. We will warn them twice. If the situation doesn't change, we will start imposing fines," said Jitendra Ghorade, ward officer, B ward.