When Krishna Surve last spoke to his 14-year-old daughter Sanika on Monday, she told him to come home early as it was raining heavily. By the time he reached home, the settlement in Malad, where he had a small shanty, was devastated. There was no trace of Sanika.
“We started searching for her, but found her lifeless body under the debris,” said Mr. Surve, whose wife and two other daughters are admitted to the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Municipal General Hospital in Kandivali. He said that Sanika had started filling forms for college admissions after clearing her Class X exams recently.
Many residents of Pimpripada and Ambedkar Nagar like Mr. Surve have lost loved ones and are battling with anxiety and loss. Mr. Surve wonders where he will seek refuge when his wife and daughters are discharged from hospital. As of Thursday, 68 survivors of the wall collapse are undergoing treatment in five civic-run hospitals in the city. Some patients are fit for discharge, but the hospital authorities are keeping them for one or two more days so that relatives can make arrangements for their accommodation.
Life thrown out of gear
“One can live with friends or relatives for a month, but what happens after that?” said Tushar Rajaram Kadam (30), who works as a clerk in a school. “My family may have to go to our village for some time.” Mr. Kadam said he expects no help from the government, but wants to get his life back on track.
Uttam Sharma (33), who lost his father and sister, said the government has made many promises, but it cannot bring back their loved ones. “Every year, the poor suffer such tragedies during the monsoon. Why can’t the government take precautions?” Mr. Sharma asked.
The family of 29-year-old Haresh Jadhav, who works as a driver in a school, also plans to return to its village. Mr Jadhav suffered injuries to his hand while saving his family and several people after the wall collapse. He recalls getting entangled in a tarpaulin sheet while swimming in the floodwaters looking for his wife and 10-month-old daughter. “I bit the plastic sheet and freed myself. I found my daughter and wife stuck nearby. I then began searching for my parents and found them too.”
Mr. Jadhav said he found many people trapped in the tarpaulin sheets. “I asked someone to get a pair of scissors and cut through the sheets to free the people.”
Meanwhile, college students, philanthropic groups, the Kalimata Mitra Mandal, the Archdiocese of Bombay and NGOs have come forward to help the victims. A local Shiv Sena activist has also made arrangements for some to stay in an underconstruction building. “All this is temporary. Eventually, we will have to find our own place,” said Mr. Jadhav.