Nearly 1,000 residents living at the foot of the Digha reservoir in Airoli are in danger of being washed away by the British-era railway dam. Water is gushing out from large leaks in the dam, but the Central Railway has made no attempt to repair it.

The residents of Airoli had once hoped that the water in the Digha reservoir would keep them afloat during droughts. Instead, the over-a-century-old dam could end up drowning them, if the authorities don’t step up and begin repairs right away.