At the end of an alley in Taj Nagar, Bidgaon, lies an abandoned well. It’s been few years since the unfortunate events but residents are still petrified of the “evil” well.
They vividly remember the catastrophe which hit their area around six-seven years back. “Many residents started falling ill, complaining of severe stomach ache. Eight people were hospitalized because of recurring diarrhoea,” says Javed Khan, an auto-rickshaw driver who has been living in Taj Nagar since the last 15 years.
There was a time when this well was a big boon for the residents. They didn’t realize when its water changed colour and turned into a serious threat to their health — all because of the unscientific dumping of city’s solid waste in a nearby ground.
Barely a few meters behind the well is a ‘nullah’ — the root cause of the problem. “It brings all the dirty water from the dumping site and this started contaminating the groundwater in our area,” says Khan.
After the well’s water started taking a toll on the health of residents, they themselves decided to ban its usage. “Since then, we haven’t drunk water from this well. The water is so polluted we are scared to use it for other purposes too,” they say.
When asked to describe the water, most of the residents point out similar characteristics — “the water smells a lot” or “it smells like rotten waste” or “it would taste bitter and turn brownish after some time”.
Whenever Shama Sheik Altaf would store the well water, “some stains would be left on the utensil suggesting corrosion”. “I couldn’t use that water for washing utensils as it was very hard and would stink,” says Faimida Salim Sheikh.
The population of the area is roughly between 1,500-2,000, says a resident Dheeraj Sharma. “The problem increases during rains when a large quantity of dirty water comes from the dumping site. When the Bhandewadi’s slaughter house was operating, the waste water from there would also contaminate the well’s water. Diseases like jaundice, typhoid would be common,” he says.
An official from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board remembers the well. “Some years back, the residents had put up a board near the well, stating that drawing water from it is prohibited,” he says.
According to some residents, no action was ever taken by any authority. “Some officials would come and put bleaching powder in the well but that would never solve the problem,” they say.
The area has four-to-five borewells but only two are usable. “Most of the borewells pump up water which is as bad as that drawn from the well,” says Khan.
Taj Nagar is just the tip of an iceberg. The impact of leachate, the liquid containing innumerable organic and inorganic compounds generated from solid waste, on groundwater can be seen in other areas too. Leachate percolates through the soil and reaches the groundwater.
At the neighbouring Saibaba Nagar, residents buy water from tankers throughout the year. “After my daughter fell ill some months back, I have shifted her to a relative’s house. The water here is toxic and I can’t put her life at risk,” a resident says.
