Running dry, Gorai villagers in Malad pay for water they don't get

For the last 10 years the residents of Gorai village Malad have been fighting to salvage the parched taps in their homes Despite having a pipeline connection and paying water tax every month thousands of residents have to travel nearly 5 to 7 km daily to procure drinking water from neighbouring areas Residents claim that the BMC which is aware of the situation has turned a blind eye towards their causeA pipeline without waterAccording to the villagers the pipeline which was laid down by ONGC in early 2000 after the intervention of then Union Petroleum Minister Ram Naik supplied water for a few years But due to rampant development in and around Gorai village which has a population of around 15000 water from the pipeline also started being distributed to the nearby areas By 2009 many homes in the village stopped receiving waterRoyston Godinho 53 the deputy sarpanch of Gorai Gaothan Panchayat who lives in the Vairala zone of Gorai village said that while he got a water connection in his home in 2005 the supply stopped a few years laterI made several complaints to the BMC but they have not taken any action till date said Godinho adding The BMC officials have told us that their hands are tied as the number of consumers have increased in the recent past Rossi Dsouza sarpanch of the Gorai Gaothan Panchayat who has also been campaigning for the cause said that the BMC claimed that since Gorai village is situated at an altitude water isnt reaching the taps in the homesRoyston Godinho deputy sarpanch of Gorai Gaothan PanchayatBMC threatening usThis hasnt stopped the BMC from charging the hefty water tax of Rs 250 per month Many residents like Sylvester Paul Murzello however have decided against paying BMC officials recently visited his home and asked him to cough up the outstanding tax of Rs 14000 They even threatened to disconnect the line said Murzello who is a senior citizen Another resident Lourdes Dsouza 54 who like Murzello refused to pay the water tax said Till March 28 our outstanding bill was Rs 164 lakh Only recently they slapped me with another water bill of Rs 178 lakh But why should I pay when water is not being supplied to my house she askedNot everyone though has been able to fight this battle headon Several residents have been paying the bills quietly worried that the BMC will disconnect their lineRecently 62yearold resident Norbert Johnny Kinny of Shefali zone paid Rs 4000 to the BMC I have filed many complaints with the BMC I am a senior citizen and it gets very difficult for me to travel from Gorai to the BMC headquarters in CST he saidLourdes Dsouza residentTo meet the water crisis the villagers have made alternate arrangements by digging a borewell nearby to procure water to wash dishes take bath and water the trees But we cannot use this water for drinking said the sarpanchAnother resident Annie Henriques 53 has been getting her supply of drinking water from Uttan Dongri close to Bhayandar where her mother lives I leave the water cans at my mothers house and when my brother fills them up we bring the cans back on our Scooty said Henriques who has to travel 7 km for thisMeanwhile residents from the neighbouring villages have decided not to get a water connection from the BMC I have seen villagers from Gorai suffer I am a farmer If the BMC issues a fake water bill how will I get it rectified Its better not to take a water connection said 41yearold Hillary MurzelloWhat nextDSouza said that members of the panchayat recently suggested the BMC to install a huge water tank at St John Cross junction and use a booster pump to generate pressure to distribute water to the village But they paid no heed to it he saidLourdes said that the BMC had conducted a survey in 2013 in Vairali Pakhadi and Shefali zones and the report was tabled in a BMC meeting Officials also visited our homes but no action has been takenDue to the crisis water thefts have also increased in the recent past Several resorts along the pipelines in Gorai have punctured the main line but the BMC is yet to take any action against themWhen contacted AN Ghadge assistant engineer water department R Central at BMCs ward office in Borivli said that the villagers were lying about not receiving water Four months ago we laid down a separate 5 kmlong pipeline for the villagers The water problem was resolved to a large extent after that The entire city is currently facing a 15 per cent water cut and hence the villagers are not receiving enough water The situation will get better post monsoonCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates