TB forces Mahul families to sleep on the streets in protest

As many as 12 families have abandoned their SRA flats in Mahul, living on the footpaths in Vidyavihar in protest

With Mumbai in the grips of an unexpected cold wave, it's not the best time to be living on the streets. But that's not what caused Anjana Goswami's cough. For this 28-year-old, even sleeping on the footpath in the dead of winter has been easier on her health than living in the apartment the BMC gave her family in the toxic town of Mahul, where she developed tuberculosis.

Anjana Goswami and her kin are among 1,200 families that were displaced from their homes in Vidyavihar in June 2017 and rehomed in Mahul, in flats constructed by the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). Like Anjana, at least 20 other project-affected persons (PAPs) fell prey to TB upon moving to the industrial town. When asked why so many of the PAPs had developed the deadly disease, Anjana's sister, 13-year-old Milee said, "Pradooshan [pollution]."

SRA residents show how toxic the air is near their homes, with noxious fumes from factories. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Pavement protestors
Three months ago, the Goswamis joined 12 other families who abandoned their SRA flats in Mahul, and started living on the footpaths in Vidyavihar in protest. The residents attribute the spike in diseases - not just TB, but skin ailments, respiratory issues, loss of hair, bloated stomachs and frequent dysentery - to the heavily polluted air and water in Mahul.

Their SRA homes are located uncomfortably close to several chemical plants and oil refineries which spew noxious fumes, effluents and sewage into the air and water. "At least 20-25 of the residents from Vidyavihar alone are suffering from tuberculosis," said Anita Dhole, one of the protestors.

Kantabai Shinde on the pavement with her grandson Kartik Tikade who is paralysed from the waist down due to spinal tuberculosis

Kids worst affected by TB
"Many of the TB patients here are children," added another resident, Sarumai Salunkhe, 65, who also started living on the footpath after developing skin infections in Mahul.

Kartik Tikade, 10, was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis a couple of months ago, resulting in paralysis from the waist down. After a month of treatment, he is now able to move his legs a little, but still cannot sit up or walk. He lay on the footpath as his grandmother Kantabai Shinde fed him, while speaking to this reporter. "Kartik used to love playing cricket and would run around all day. Then one day he suffered a paralytic attack. The doctors say that he needs surgery but it has a 70 per cent success rate. How can we take that chance?" she said.

Hundreds of Mahul residents join the pavement protest at Vidyavihar every day. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Savita Walmiki and her family moved to the SRA project from Kurla more than five years ago. Last year, two of her children, Ronit and Lakshmi (aged 12 and 9, respectively) were diagnosed with TB. Now, her four-year-old daughter, too, has developed similar symptoms. "We are praying that it's just a cold. Not just the air, even the water is contaminated here. There is a layer of oil floating on the water. We cannot afford a filter or the gas to boil the drinking water, so we just use a cloth sieve to filter the water before drinking," said Savita.

Mahul residents say
There are around 5,000 families who moved to the Mahul SRA project after their dwellings near the city's water pipelines were razed by the civic authorities. While hearing a petition filed by these residents, the Bombay High Court sought an interim report from IIT Bombay on the living conditions in Mahul. The report, filed on December 14, 2018, found the local drinking water to be contaminated, and also mentioned a foul smell emanating from 'excessive spilling of sewage water'. The report also found the solid waste management system in the area to be inadequate. Similarly, another report filed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2015 noted that 'there is perceptible threat to the health of residents' due to prevailing air quality in the area.

Sudhakar Kedare, a resident of building 19, said, "There are many families here with loved ones who are suffering from TB." "The lifts in aren't functional and there are few buses, so it is difficult to even reach the hospital in emergencies" added Dhole.

BMCspeak
Dr Prithviraj Chouhan, assistant municipal commissioner, denied all allegations about the uninhabitable conditions and said, "We check samples of the drinking water every month and there is no problem. We submitted our report to the high court last month as well. When we receive complaints, our officials go and fix the problem. But people lack a basic civic sense, and throw garbage out their windows."

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