Mumbai: Mankhurd’s Cheeta Camp still struggles with clogged nullahs and garbage

Mankhurdrsquos Cheeta Camp continues to reel under years of neglect with residents grappling with unfinished roads clogged nullahs and an 800metre stretch of backwaters choked with garbageWhile the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC undertook partial cleanup work over the past six months including desilting and unclogging nullahs the early onset of the monsoon brought the efforts to a haltWhen midday contacted officials earlier this year residents were assured that cleaning would resume immediately after the monsoon However locals say no fresh work has begun so farBackstorySince January 2025 Dharmesh Barai founder of the Environment Life Foundation along with local activist Asif Sayyed has repeatedly approached authorities seeking comprehensive cleaning of the arearsquos nullahs and backwatersHeaps of accumulated garbage line the 800metre stretch of backwaters at Cheeta CampResidents said even a brief spell of rain causes drain water to back up into homes Following a midday report earlier this year authorities cleaned roughly half the problem areas focusing only on the nullahs while the garbagefilled backwaters remained untouchedA hard stopWith the early arrival of the monsoon residents were hoping the backwaters would also be cleared as accumulated solid waste traps stagnant water and turns the area into a breeding ground for mosquitoesldquoChildren play here and people live right next to the water Every monsoon we see multiple cases of mosquitoborne diseases We are asking for a proper onetime cleanup After that we will do our best to keep the area clean but right now our efforts alone are not enoughrdquo said SayyedFrustration among locals is growing ldquoIf the cleanup does not begin soon we will be forced to sit on a hunger strike outside the BMC M East ward office Another year like this will only worsen water pollution and garbage will start entering our homesrdquo Sayyed saidHurdles and officials speakSachin More round officer with the Navi Mumbai Mangrove Range Forest Office said coordination issues were delaying the work ldquoWe have held two meetings with the BMC and it was decided that both agencies would jointly clean the area However we are yet to receive the final goaheadrdquo More saidHe added that the delay was being attributed to the lack of a dumping site for the garbage and debris expected to be cleared from the 800metre stretch ldquoWe were initially told that land near Panvel would be used but there has been no update since We are sending another letter to the BMC and hope the work can start within two weeksrdquo he saidBarai criticised the explanation calling it unacceptable ldquoIt is shocking that the BMC claims it does not know where to dump garbage There is a solid waste management department for exactly such situationsrdquo he saidHighlighting the environmental impact Barai added ldquoGarbage floats from Mankhurd all the way to Navi Mumbai and even into Thane Creek In some places you cannot even see mangrove roots without digging through waste This is destroying our natural buffer that protects Mumbairsquos coastlinerdquo midday contacted the BMCrsquos M East ward for a response but no reply was received till press time