Naushad Shah from Sai Garden Chawl has suspended his voluntary work of physically entering sewage water to clean the gutter and create a new drainage system for a part of his slum. The BMC informed residents that funds have been allocated to fix the issue. This update came four days after the mid-day report, where 21 families crowdfunded Rs 1,500 each to help Naushad purchase the necessary materials for the drainage system.
 
Mid-day witnessed filthy water entering the homes of these families, causing them to live in survival mode at night. Mrs Khartoum, the mother of Shifa Khartoum, a nine-year-old girl, revealed how they wake up to water entering their homes in the middle of the night, and they hurriedly collect buckets to empty the house and sleep again, only to face the same situation after a few hours. Even young children as young as six years old help in this process. “This problem persisted for three months even before the monsoon, but after the monsoon started, it became unbearable. Because of this, we took this drastic step, as our voices went unheard until this time,” Naushad said.

The filthy drainage in Sai Garden chawl. Pic/Ashish Raje