For over one and a half years, nearly 30,000 residents of Manipada in Kalina, Santacruz East, have been forced to live with gutter water from a sewage line that accumulates on their road on a daily basis. Apart from the stench and health hazard owing to the mosquitoes breeding in the stagnant water, locals say that huge bandicoots frequently enter their houses. Dilip Pawar, secretary of Amrapali Co-operative Housing Society, stated that though over 20 letters had been written to various authorities—mid-day has copies of acknowledgements—action is still awaited. 

“Our problems started after shoddy construction work commenced on a sewage line and road under an elevated road. The pillar piling work actually damaged the line, causing obstructions to the flow of water. This results in it overflowing onto the main road. We are the worst hit, as the water accumulates right outside our main gate and nearly a thousand residents of our building, including children and senior citizens, have no choice but to do a balancing act on semi-submerged makeshift stones and cement slabs, which have been placed over the filthy water,” alleged Pawar.