Several septic tanks have not been cleaned despite complaints to BMC
The septic tank at Anne D’Mello’s house has not been cleaned in months
Residents of Gorai village and koliwada have alleged that they are being charged huge sums of money to get their septic tanks cleaned by the person appointed by BMC for the job. Parts of the Gorai island lack a sewage system due to which the civic body has made arrangements for trucks to clean septic tanks and take the sewage away. This is a free service, but residents say they are forced to pay up or the contractor ignores the job.
A Resident, Rossi D’souza filed an RTI query which revealed that the cleaning of septic tanks is a non-chargeable service provided by the civic body. Speaking with mid-day, Rossi said, “Due to the absence of a sewage system, after several complaints, the BMC started dispatching sanitation vehicles to clean septic tanks built individually for each house. I had to file an RTI to confirm whether there are any charges for cleaning these septic tanks as the person appointed by the civic body was charging money from each house he visited. Shockingly, it came to light that the service is non-chargeable.” Rossi has started urging local residents to stop paying any charges for cleaning septic tanks. When mid-day visited the village and koliwada, it found that several septic tanks had not been cleaned despite repeated complaints being made by the BMC.
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Overfull septic tank at Anne D’mello’s house
Ralph Ferreira elaborated on the prices charged in Gorai village. “We recognise the person who is appointed for cleaning as ‘mukadam’. Whenever he visits any place in the village for cleaning, he charges anywhere between Rs 500 to Rs 1,500. We have no choice but to pay as the septic tanks need to be cleaned. If they aren’t cleaned, after a while, they start stinking and overflowing which leads to water being clogged in the washrooms. This clogged water is a mixture of waste collected in the septic tank,” Ralp said.
Selvin Zolar, a resident from koliwada in the Gorai-Manori region said, “Even after raising multiple complaints with the BMC via WhatsApp and phone calls, no sanitation vehicle reaches us. The only response we get is that a vehicle will be dispatched in the week. However, it is never seen in the koliwada part. If I specifically raised a complaint, I should at least get a call from mukadam or person driving the vehicle to get my exact location.”
Selvin further stated that when he calls civic authorities the following week, he is told that a sanitation vehicle had visited my location last week. Selvin’s house is connected to the seashore and he alleged that it is impossible to clean the tanks during high tide. “It is also not possible for vehicles to reach the koliwada during high tide. Keeping all this in mind, we usually request the officials to dispatch the vehicle during low tides so that the vehicle also doesn’t get stuck. But they are not at all ready to cooperate with us, despite us taking all these factors into account,” Selvin said, adding that locals have resorted to dumping wastewater on the beach, which is also concerning as the untreated water pollutes the beach. According to Selvin, after continuously calling civic officials for a month, the septic tank was finally cleaned on January 4.
Anne’s 90-year-old mother
Anne D’mello, a senior citizen residing at Gorai village, told mid-day, “I live alone with my mother, daughter and granddaughter in the house. There is no chance of using the toilets or bathing as the septic tank is already full. We have to use the toilet of our son-in-law’s house which is nearby. For bathing, we can’t pour water as the bathroom gets flooded due to the septic tank being full. We either have to rely on sponging or use someone else’s washroom. We have already called the authorities seven times in the last month but no sanitation vehicle has come to our house.” According to Anne, her mother is 90 and can barely walk even with the support of a walker. “So walking to my son-in-law’s toilet is a huge task as she requires the help of at least two people along with the walker if she wants to get out of the house. The situation is becoming dire and the authorities need to take swift action.”
Rajendra Raut, BMC’s solid waste management officer (R-Central ward), said, “We only have one vehicle available with us. The vehicle is sent two days a week to Gorai. The number of complaints for cleaning septic tanks in Gorai village has increased recently, but the exact reason for this is not known to us. What the contractor does is not known to us as we do not go with him while septic tanks are been cleaned. Septic tank cleaning service is free of cost.” The reporter tried contacting Ravindra Kamble, the BMC contractor. He disconnected the call and blocked the reporter after hearing the query.
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