15000 Gorai People Say: No Water No Vote

In the coastal outskirts of Mumbai, Selvi Keli has established a daily routine over the past four years, dividing her time between selling fish and sourcing water for various needs. Her residence in Upper-Koliwada requires her to trek roughly a kilometer to fetch water from a nearby well, a task as integral to her life as the predictable ebb and flow of the tides at Gorai Beach.

The frustration felt by Selvi resonates with more than 15,000 inhabitants across Koliwada, Culvem, Jui-Pada, and Gorai Village. Reflecting on the challenges faced, "Since the lockdown, water issues have plagued us, worsening significantly since last September. Despite our efforts—complaints to the administration, letters to politicians, and meetings with the Member of Legislative Assembly—no action has been taken. With elections looming, they seek our votes. Why should we vote for them if they fail to address our water needs?" 

Echoing Selvi's concerns, Radhabai Kharmare from Jui Pada said, “Water is life, and by doing they are sabotaging our basic needs. With no water, sanitation issues have arisen, and we women have to go to bare fields to relieve ourselves, think about our situation during periods."

The major reason for the scarcity of water in Gorai is attributed to low water pressure in pipelines, increasing illegal connections to pipelines, and inadequate action taken by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). As neighboring areas like Uttan, Borivali, and Manori enjoy continuous water supply, Gorai faces scarcity, the residents suspect underlying motives, as they have been opposing unwanted development projects by politicians.

To meet their water needs, people have started purchasing drinking water from nearby areas like Bhutbangla at Uttan, which falls in the Thane district. For other needs, they depend on boring water from wells or nearby lakes. Gorai residents have two lakes—Gaontalva and Culvem Lake—and a common well, 'Sarkari Bavdi,' in the Koliwada area. Many residents have privately owned ancestral wells, but not all can afford them. Additionally, Gorai, being at the banks of the Arabian Sea, has salty water, which prevents people from using it for drinking purposes.

Parrel D'mello, a local resident in his 50s, said, "I have been using well water for the last three years and have had kidney stones at least 5 times. People in this area are falling sick using well water." D'mello also mentioned, "I am paying water tax regularly, which comes every 6 months. Last I paid was in October 2023, and it is due to come in April. I have no option but to pay this bill because if I don't, they will cut my connection, and to restore it later, they will charge me at least Rs. 60,000 to 80,000." D'mello also pays for drinking water; in total, he spends at least Rs. 5000 on water.

For 1000 liters of water, locals pay Rs. 500, which lasts for a maximum of four days, and the cycle repeats. For drinking water, they pay at least Rs. 20 for every 5 liters, adding to their budget, which creates a hole in the monthly budget of people. Many of the Gorai residents are daily wage earners.

Efforts to address the low pressure include installing suction tanks and laying pipelines, with progress underway. “Gorai’s water comes from Liberty Garden of Malad through Manori and then reaches Gorai, which is at a higher point, so the pressure is low. We are working on it; for the same, we are installing a suction tank so all the regions receive proper water supply. So far, 1800 meters of pipeline is installed, and piling work has started,” said R Ward Civic Official.

In February of this year, BMC obtained a permit to execute a suction tank project in Gorai village. Since then, work has been underway. BMC chose to establish the project site for a suction tank of approximately 40 square meters near the fish market in Gorai village—on a parcel of land owned by the state government—to supply potable water. The BMC was granted this land by the tahsildar of Mumbai Suburban District in August 2019.

However, when LokmatTimes.Com visited the suction tank area, there was no movement, no sign of work in place. Only pipes were lying around. On questioning BMC, an official said, “There is some issue with piling, but the work is in progress.” The suction tank will take another year to provide relief to the people of Gorai.

Meanwhile, Gorai Village Welfare Association Switsy Henrique said, “The suction tank will take time, but we require more self-sustaining options like rainwater harvesting, no beautification of natural lakes, cleaning of ponds and lakes, and not to implement desalination projects.”