TAKING A RISK: People using the narrow footbridge over the Ulhas near Badlapur.

BADLAPUR: Wilson Shelke and his family spent nearly two days stuck on top of their one-storey house in Ganesh Nagar in Badlapur, after torrential rains submerged many low-lying areas. Their house has been wrecked and they cannot even salvage any of their belongings. No help seems to have reached this place, 80 km from Mumbai.

While Mumbai is returning to normal after the record downpour on Tuesday, the adjacent city of Thane and the towns of Mumbra, Kalyan, Badlapur, Vithalwadi and others (all in Thane district), are still in shock after the continuous rains, which lasted for over two days. Many areas were completely under water, and the rains destroyed road links and bridges and killed about 200 persons in Thane district alone. Many of these towns have piles of garbage, rotting food and stagnant water, and residents are living without power and water supply.

Apartment complexes hit

In Ganesh Nagar, about a 100 apartment complexes were affected by floods, which submerged the first floor and in cases, even reached the second floor. Wilson, his father, brother and mother climbed up the terrace of their one-storey house and sat on the ladder there. "From Tuesday 11 a.m. to Thursday 3 a.m. we were up on the terrace as the entire colony was under water. My mother is asthmatic and she was ill," said a distraught Wilson. His brother Mark was across the house in another building and he threw food packets to them. Wilson's 15-month-old child was stuck with his wife on an adjoining terrace.

"There was no power so I cut down all the cables I could see and asked my family to anchor themselves using that," says Mark. Finally it was with the help of these cables that the Shelke family was rescued to safety. Now all of them are staying with their neighbours. "We lost everything — our cash, a lot of gold, certificates. Nothing is left, not even the clothes we are wearing are our own," says Wilson.

After the floods receded at night, people were too scared to get down. Taking advantage of this, thieves reportedly looted many of the homes. Wilson, who works for an NGO, said that it was ironic that no one came to their help in the hour of need. They tried calling the police, fire brigade and even the military, but no help was at hand.

The experience has completely traumatised them and many families in Ganesh Nagar who barely escaped with their lives. Living without power and water supply for nearly five days now, people will also face a crisis of food supply, as most shops in the area have no stocks.

Most are busy clearing out their homes, which are covered with mud, and disposing of their various belonging, which are now quite useless after being in water for over two days. The water brought in all kinds of filth, leaves and gigantic weeds, which are spread everywhere. No municipal authority seems to be directing any kind of relief or rescue operation. Strangers come and give them food and water.

Medical help sought

"Give us some medical help, vaccinations against diseases and food," some residents of Ganesh Nagar said. People are washing their muddy belongings in the flowing gutters or walking down to the Ulhas river. Tankers are only a few and they just manage to get one bucket of water if they are lucky. Surekha Bobde and her two daughters were sitting at the gutter outside their apartment in Ramesh wadi and cleaning out vessels full of mud.

Her daughter, Ankita, studying in the class 11, said that her home was completely destroyed.

"I lost all my certificates," she said still trying to cope with the shock. Their father, who works in Navi Mumbai, returned home only on Friday, three days after he left for work.

In the locality of Hendrepada, Sulakshana Pandit was trying to clean her ground floor flat, which is covered with mud.

"The water went up to the second floor," says her son. "In my 55 years I have never seen anything like this. Why couldn't anyone have warned us? We just renovated our flat and I have lost all my household articles. There is no food to eat. Someone from Pune gave us some khichdi," said Pandit. Outside, the compound is full of mattresses, chairs, ruined clothes, fans and utensils.

Health hazard

In the marketplace near the Badlapur railway station, most shops were emptying out their sodden stocks of food grains or vegetables, creating a health hazard on the roads. The marketplace seems completely devastated by the floods and an overpowering stench hangs in the air.

All along the road at various places, there were piles of grains and rotting food. Shops, which used to sell clothes, have started impromptu sales of soiled goods at 50 per cent of the cost. Umbrellas are available for Rs. 20. Idols of Ganesha are covered with a film of mud.

The bridge connecting old Badlapur village is now broken and people have to use the narrow footpath across the swollen Ulhas river.

On the road from Kalyan to Badlapur, the water supply pipelines are under siege with people bringing all kinds of containers on bullock carts, jeeps and tempos to collect water.

The government machinery was absent in most places although in Kalyan some attempt was being made to disinfect the place and in Badlapur, the garbage was being cleared sporadically. People are angry that no government help was at hand and even now, despite so many relief measures being announced, no one knows how to access them.

The local corporators were chased away by the residents who were angry that no one had come forward to warn or even help them.

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