Why Mumbai Families Live In Landslide Prone Homes Parksite Vikhroli

Hours before a tragedy struck a multi-storey chawl in Mumbai’s Mankhurd area amid heavy rainfall on Sunday, July 5, claiming six lives, several informal lodgings on the elevated or stilt homes of Parksite, Vikhroli had already been dealing with another calamity that had befallen them – an event that has so far remained unnoticed. Situated on the least reaches of the massive informal settlement, these houses were reduced to rubble after mud and rocks came crashing down over them.

While no casualty was reported and the authorities did visit to access the damage, tying a ‘danger’ tape bordering the area, the event upended the lives of some of the affected families, leaving them with not even a memory of their belongings.

The affected families said every monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials visit the area with a landslide risk alert, asking them to move, but their attachment to the place, where they have spent decades, have kept them rooted.

Living next to four damaged houses, Lakshmi Parab, 58, said, “Risk is not a stranger to us,” as her grandson tugs at her saree. “Every year before the monsoon, like a ritual, the BMC informs us of the risk of landslides and asks us to shift away for the rainy months, washing their hands of any responsibility. But we continue to stay, out of desperation.”

Pushpa Yadav, 65, whose house was completely crushed due to the impact, thanked God thanked God for sparing her and her husband’s lives. Her house, where she has lived since the 90s, was, however, reduced to a pulp.

She said, “It is God’s grace that neither I nor my husband died. I was towards the back of our neighbour’s house, trying to make space for the stream of water coming from the hill to flow down so the water doesn’t add to the load. My husband was sitting on the bed, chanting.”

Yadav said it started small, with only a few rocks and mud sliding down the hill above them. Seeing that, she called for her husband who was still inside their house.

“My husband, a rickshaw driver, is partially deaf. He didn’t hear anything. He was dragged out which saved his life,” she said.

The Yadavs, along with their 30-year-old son who was outside their house when the landslide occurred, stayed with their eldest son for two days at his rented accommodation, but came back to Parksite. Since their house was completely destroyed, they have taken shelter at their neighbour’s house.

As the rain continued to batter the area late Sunday night, the residents of Parksite were offered accommodation at a BMC school by the municipal corporation officials, but they refused and demanded a “proper place”.

“If the authorities want us to relocate, they should provide us a proper place to live in,” Parab said.

Newlywed Asmita Mayangade, who had recently moved to the area, has started to shift to another location after the walls of her house developed deep cracks following the landslide.

The residents of the parksite have been pushing for the construction of retaining walls, built to hold the rocks and stabilize slopes. Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), the authority which is authorised to build retaining walls in these areas, also supports the idea but the funds are scarce, and retaining walls are few and far between.

A little under half of Mumbai’s population, as per the 2012 census, stays in informal slums that come with structural uncertainty. High up on the hills, this uncertainty is compounded by the risk of landslides.

Sabah Virani is a journalist with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau, covering infrastructure, housing and urban issues. In the realms of technical fields, she brings out human stories and the pace of change ongoing in the city. Expertise Specialised Role: Tracking infrastructure in Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Sabah’s reporting tracks progress on various projects. From bridges to metros, she mixes technical details with resourceful information. Core coverage areas: Sabah keeps a close eye on the activities of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and its projects across the MMR, including the metros, road projects, bridges, the bullet train, pod taxi, its role as a planning authority, and more. She also watches for developments from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) and the GoM’s Urban Development department. Housing: Sabah also tracks developments in housing, particularly the workings of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). She also keeps a keen watch on the big redevelopment projects ongoing in Mumbai, including the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, Motilal Nagar, Kamathipura, BDD Chawl redevelopment, among others. Occasionally, she reports on the environment, biodiversity, waste, arts and culture. Experience: Prior to working for the Indian Express, Sabah covered the municipality, civic issues and miscellaneous for Hindustan Times. Before that, she covered all things Mumbai for the online publication Citizen Matters. She has also worked as an editorial assistant at FiftyTwo.in. ... Read More