Ek Dozen Paani - Adarsh Nagar

Duration: 01:40:10; Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1; Hue: 32.372; Saturation: 0.104; Lightness: 0.343; Volume: 0.339; Cuts per Minute: 38.815; Words per Minute: 31.317

Waiting outside their homes, for the water to arrive. The hiss of the pressure mounting as it arrives, the choking and spluttering and the first flow of water, as filmed by the youth from Akanksha, out on their first shooting exercise. Adarsh Nagar has water taps outside each house, compared to other localities in Jogeshwari E.

As in many cities, in Mumbai we barely witness the passage of water from rain to sea via lakes, watersheds, pipes, pumps, pots, human and animal bodies, drains and sewers. However, residents in the slums of Jogeshwari, particularly in areas such as Sanjay Nagar where this footage was shot, find themselves without the former and trapped with the latter.

As part of an investigation into the social life of water in these areas, Pani Sare Dhaga Ma (Water is In All the Clouds) was a collaborative project between youth of two community organizations- Aakansha Sewa Sangh and Agaaz, with CAMP and led by the researcher Nikhil Anand. Working together since march 2008, they take us though questions of citizenship and distribution by looking at how residents form relationships with water and its infrastructures: including official water supplies, alternative plumbing, ground water, tanker politics, and so on.

1995
Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The footage was shot by Sarita from Akanksha group. This footage is of a residence in Meghwadi, in Jogeshwari East. The water situation in Meghwadi has improved a lot since 1995. Prior to which there were a lot of water problems.

The timing of water is divided in to two - morning and evening. People make groups and take the water connection. The number of people varies in a group from five to fifty. The timings for water in the morning is from 4.30-5 am till 9-10 am. The timings for water in the evening is from 4.30 pm till 8.30 pm. Also, more the number members in a group, cost gets divided.

This was one of the worst affected areas on 26th July 2005, when Mumbai was flooded, since this is a low lying area. Houses were submerged in water. The area of Meghwadi is on the ground level, hence they do not have to face difficulty in terms of water not climbing up like in areas of Prem Nagar. Majority of houses in Meghwadi are built on a height one or two feet to prevent water getting filled in houses during monsoons. Also the houses in this area are generally single storied - ground level and first level. The pressure in the pipes providing water is generally more when new, but reduces over a period of time.
26
2005
Akanksha
Jogeshwari
July
Meghwadi
Mumbai
Prem Nagar
Sarita
connection
flooded
pipes
pressure
timing
water

1995
Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The footage was shot by Sarita from Akansha group. This footage is of a residnce in Meghwadi, in Jogeshwari East. The water situation in Meghwadi has improved a lot since 1995. Prior to which there were a lot of water problems.

The houses in this area are based on the 'pagdi' system. The landlord had not paid the dues for the connection which had led to the connection being cut. During that time people from Meghwadi had to go to other area like Prem Nagar, Janata Colony to get water. However, they had to buy this water which was priced at 10 paise per vessel. I am still not able to figure out which year had this incident occured, because 10 paise as a currency is not used since a decade.

The situation in the native place of the resident which happens to be in Andhra Pradesh, was quite different as there were no municipality connection which provided water, and the people used to draw water from the well for the purpoe of drinking and daily use whic includes washing, bathing etc. Since they were from Mumbai, they were hesitant to drink the well water at first since the well water tends to be hard water.

Water is subjected to approval in each class of the society. The rich think that the municipal water is not fit for drinking, and mineral water is a better option. The middle class thinks that municipal water should be filtered so that it is fit to drink. The lower income group people think that municipal water is fit to drink, but the well water is not an healthy option, whereas the people from villages and rural areas think that well water and water from river is clean enough to drink, as there are no other alternatives for them.
10 paise
Akanksha
Andhra Pradesh
Janata Colony
Jogeshwari
Meghwadi
Prem Nagar
Sarita
bathing
connection
hard
landlord
municipality
pagdi
problems
washing
water
well

1995
Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The footage was shot by Sarita from Akansha group. This footage is of a residnce in Meghwadi, in Jogeshwari East. The water situation in Meghwadi has improved a lot since 1995. Prior to which there were a lot of water problems.

The sewage-cum-drainage in the area is not properly planned. This result into the drain and sewer getting clogged and floods. The resident make a complaint regarding this to the current corporator Ravindra Waikar, who is a candidate of the Shiv-Sena party. The sewer or the drain getting clogged is a recurring phenomena, and hence weekly or fortnightly people may contribute to clean it up. Though the residents blame the BMC (Brihnamumbai Municipal Corporation) for making the sewer-cum-drain in between the lane, which was earlier on the sides.

Suraksha and I however think that people should also pay attention to the garbage they throw in the sewer-cum-drain, which ultimately clog's it up. Though people are not willing to accept their mistake and blame it on BMC. Also every year, the BMC along with the corporator carry out the renovation of the layering of the roads with slab. This happens mainly before the monsoons arrive.
Akanksha
BMC
Jogeshwari
Meghwadi
Ravindra Waikar
Sarita
Shiv-Sena
Suraksha
corporator
drainage
garbage
problems
renovation
roads
sewer
water

1995
Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The footage was shot by Sarita from Akansha group. This footage is of in Meghwadi, in Jogeshwari East. The water situation in Meghwadi has improved a lot since 1995. Prior to which there were a lot of water problems.

The footage is of a well in the area of Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East. The well water is used to wash clothes and for other daily activities. However the water from the well is not used for drinking purposes. The well is covered with a grid in order to prevent mishaps like children falling in the well or preventing people from throwing waste in the well. The well is home to many beautiful fishes, which are said to eat the germs and bacteria which are ther in the water and also to maintain oxygen level in the water.
Akanksha
Jogeshwari
Meghwadi
Sarita
bacteria
drinking
fishes
germs
mishaps
oxygen
problems
waste
water
well

1995
Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The footage was shot by Sarita from Akansha group. This footage is of in Meghwadi, in Jogeshwari East. The water situation in Meghwadi has improved a lot since 1995. Prior to which there were a lot of water problems.

The footage captures some of the graffiti which has been done on the wall next to the well. The message given through the graffiti is that of' Keep the water clean', 'Please do not throw any flowers in the well', and so on.

The well water is used to wash clothes and for other daily activities. However the water from the well is not used for drinking purposes. The well is covered with a grid in order to prevent mishaps like children falling in the well or preventing people from throwing waste in the well. The well is home to many beautiful fishes, which are said to eat the germs and bacteria which are there in the water and also to maintain oxygen level in the water.

Towards the end of the footage, one sees a visual of a tap which is closed.
Akanksha
Jogeshwari
Meghwadi
Sarita
bacteria
drinking
fishes
germs
graffiti
oxygen
problems
tap
waste
water
well

Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The footage was shot by Sarita from Akansha group. This footage is of in Meghwadi, in Jogeshwari East. The water situation in Meghwadi has improved a lot since 1995. Prior to which there were a lot of water problems.

The footage is shot at one of the residences in Meghwadi. What one can see here is an improvement in terms of storage of water. Earlier people used to use barrels (drums) for storing water which used to be kept outside the houses. Now the trend remains more or less the same but with the add on of the water tanks being installed in the houses to store water apart from the barrels. Also people are experimenting with washing clothes inside the house as oppose to people being used to washing clothes outside the houses.
1995
Akanksha
Jogeshwari
Meghwadi
Sarita
barrels
problems
storage
tanks
washing
water

Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The footage is shot by Archana from Akansha group. The footage itself was shot at Archana's residence in Meghwadi. It is a formal interview with Archana's mother regarding the memories of the floods on 26th July, 2005.

Archana's mother recounts the problems and difficulties she had when the city was flooded on the 26th July, 2005. People were not prepared for what Mumbai had to face for two-three long days when majority of the city was submerged in the floods. There were people on the roads specially the youth trying to help other people in terms of water, snacks, food etc.

The condition at Archana's place was worsening. She along with two of her sibling were taken to her maternal aunt's place. Her mother tried to keep house from submerging by throwing out the water which had gathered in her house. The water was not coming from outside, but from within the floor. A lot of household item were floating on the water in the house. Finally, when the rain had stopped the water coming from the floors also had stopped.
26
2005
Akanksha
Archana
Archana
Jogeshwari
July
Meghwadi
Mumbai
city
flooded
problems
rain
submerged
water
youth

Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The footage is shot by Archana from Akansha group. The footage itself was shot in Archana's neighborhood in Meghwadi.

The neighbor was with Archana's mother on the the day of floods that is 26th July, 2005. The footage then captures a tap which is too close to the ground. The reason being that there is not enough pressure in the pipeline. If the pipe is shortened the water would not need much pressure, hence people have shortened the height of the pipes, some to an extent are equal to the surface level of the ground as seen in the footage. The pressure seems to be low since the pipeline there was installed more than a decade ago, and thereafter no one has maintained or kept a regular check on it. Archana thinks that the pressure has turned low may be because of the pipes getting rusted and worn out.

The other neighbor said that they have highlighted the issue of shortage of water supply many times to authorities (read Shailesh Parab - corporator), but no action was taken. The people seem to struggle but somewhere have accepted defeat against the authorities. Also one can see that a pipeline is going almost in the same lane as a small sewer. Who is supposed to held responsible if the pipe leaked and the water gets polluted which may harm people's health.
26
2005
Akanksha
Archana
Jogeshwari
July
Meghwadi
authorities
harm
health
issue
leaked
pipe
pipeline
polluted
pressure
problems
rusted
sewer
shortage
struggle
water

Meghwadi, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The footage is shot by Archana from Akansha group. The footage itself was shot in Archana's neighborhood in Meghwadi.

The footage is of a pipeline that is going in the same lane above a small sewer. Who is supposed to be held responsible if the pipe leaked and the water gets polluted which may harm people's health
Akanksha
Archana
Jogeshwari
Meghwadi
harm
health
pipe
pipeline
polluted
problems
sewer
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Vasant : For how many years are you living here?
Woman : 12 years
Vasant : 12 years. Tell us your experiences with the water situation in the 12 years that you have been living here.
Woman : When we came here 12 years ago, there was no water. Water came only after we settled here. That time the water source was outside the house and the water used to come with a good amount of force. It was like this until very recently, the force of the water reduced around a year or 1.5 years ago.
Vasant : So has the amount of water has reduced in the last 1.5 years?
Woman : Yes it has reduced. It has reduced a lot.
Vasant : What about the timing? What time does the water come?
Woman : Now the water comes at 5 and its there till 8 or 8:15.
Vasant : 8:15. So for how many hours is it there?
Woman : It comes at 5 and it stops at 8:15.There is absolutely no force in the water.
If you considered the force at which the water used to come as 100% then the force now is not even 30%.
Vasant : Not even 30% !!
Woman : Not even 30%.
Vasant : And the water that comes, is it clean or dirty?
Woman : No. The water is not at all clean, it is dirty. Everyday when the water comes initially it contains a odour.
Vasant : There is an odour.
Woman : Sometimes the water is very dirty.
Vasant : Do you have a committee or...?
Woman : We have a committee.
Vasant : So how do you allocate the usage? Is it 1 hour per person half an hour? How is it? Is it a number system?
Woman : We adjust as and when the people get their fill.
Vasant : So do you allocate each person a number?
Woman : No, we don't give numbers
Vasant : So do fights occur?
Woman : Sometimes fights occur.
Vasant : For what?
Woman : For water !! The most important thing here is water and it is over water that people fight.
Vasant : How many litres of water do you require?
Woman : If in a day there are 5-6 people than you need 500 litres
Vasant : 500 litres..So you need about 500 litres
Woman : Yes, minimum. There are 5 people so 500 litres is needed.
Vasant : Are you trying to get a bigger connection here.
Woman : We asking the corporator to get us a bigger line.
Vasant : Who is the Corporator here?
Woman : Shailesh Parab
Vasant : What is the ward number?
Woman : 100 or...I think its changed.
Vasant : 69. 69 is the number of the ward isn't it? Have you given an application?
Woman : No, we haven't yet given an application.
Vasant : You haven't given..
Vasant Pandurang Ambore, founding member and now prsident of Akanksha group is conducting an interview with one of the residents of Inquilab Nagar area in Sarvodaya Nagar.

The resident says that she has been living in the area for past twelve years. Previously they had a water connection outside their houses, also the pressure in the pipes was good. In fact, the pressure was fine until around one-one and a half years. The problem of pressure has been since then. Also there is a shortage in supply of water for past one - one and a half years. The running time of water is around three to four hours, as in the supply of water starts at 5 till 8 or 8.15, the resident also comments that there is absolutely no pressure in the pipes during this time. If compared to the pessure in the pipes previously, the pressure of the pipes have been reduced to around thirty pecent or less.

The residents share a water connection among members with the committee. Also there is no queue or any order in which the members of the committee fill water, this often results into verbal fights and arguments. A family of five needs atleast 500 litres of water a day. The corporator of their ward number 69 is Shailesh Parab, who is working to get a bigger pipeline in the area so that people don't have to face the shortage of water supply. Though the residents have not given an application regarding the same.
69
Akanksha
Ambore
Inquilab Nagar
Jogeshwari
Pandurang
Sarvodaya Nagar
Shailesh Parab
Vasant
arguments
connection
corporator
fights
pipeline
pipes
pressure
shortage
supply
ward
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Vasant : Hello. My name is Vasant and we are doing, (please look at me), research on water and are trying to make a film. For that we would like to ask a few questions. Please tell us your name?
Woman : My name is Radhika Ramchandra (?)kar
Vasant : For how many years are you living here?
Woman : We are living here since '94
Vasant : You came here in '94
Woman : Earlier we had rented a room but we are living here since '94
Vasant : What is the name of this area?
Woman : (Inqilab) nagar
Vasant : (Inqilab)nagar....Tell us about the water situation in '94 and how it is now. That is, where would you fill water in '94 and what was the situation then and how is the situation right now?
Woman : Then, in '94, we used to fill water from the shop.
Vasant : From the shop.
Woman : Yes, from line of shops we used to buy it.
Vasant : How much would you pay? How much would you take?
Woman : I don't quite remember how much I used to pay or how much I would take. We used to pay around Rs30.
Vasant : Rs30 monthly?
Woman : Yes, monthly
Vasant : Rs30 monthly for water.
Woman : For water. We used to fill it at the maushis' shop (Mom and Pop store). Then the committee made wells.
Vasant : Where?
Woman : Two were made near our house, behind, and two in the next alley. We used to fill from there.
Vasant : Then we bought (?)
Woman : 2 wells at the back and 2 in the front which adds up to 4 wells
Vasant : Yes 4 wells
Woman : How many people would take water from these 4 wells? 100 people, 300 people, 400 people. How many people would take water?
Vasant : 60-65
Woman : 60-65 people would fill water from 4 taps.
Vasant : Yes.
Vasant Pandurang Ambore, founding member and now president of Akanksha group is conducting an interview with one of the residents of Inquilab Nagar area in Sarvodaya Nagar.

The woman has been staying here since 1994. Earlier the residents used to buy water from a shops outside the area for rupees thirty per month. Gradually the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) got four committee connection for water supply which was shared by a total of sixty five residents.
Akanksha
Ambore
BMC
Inquilab Nagar
Jogeshwari
Pandurang
Sarvodaya Nagar
Vasant
buy
committee
connection
supply
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Vasant : At that time how many hours would get with the water, for example half hour?
Woman : It was not like this back then. We used to stand in the line with 4 utensils and everyone would get to fill 4 utensils
Vasant : And the water used not be enough then?
Woman : Yes. It used to be enough.
Vasant : And now what is the situation? For how long does the water supply last? Back then there were only 4 taps and now how many taps are there?
Woman : Previously there was a committee. Now there is a tap in every house. But the force of the water is so weak, that when it comes at 4:30 and stops at 8, many people have not got enough for their households. Some people get more than they used to before, some don't get all.
Vasant : Does your chawl have a committee or does every person have his/her seperate tap.
Woman : There is a committee.
Vasant : If there is a committee do you give (?) ? How do you fill water?
Woman : Now whoever has a tap fills water in their homes. If some doesnt get or if some doesn't have a tap, for example I don't have a tap so I use the tap at my neighbours place also.
Vasant : And the water bill. After how many months does the water bill come?
Woman : 3 months
Vasant : 3 months. So does the committee pay the bill or does each one pay individually?
Woman : The committee collects money from everyone and pays.
Vasant : Does the committee have a Secretary.
Woman : Yes.
Vasant : What other difficulties do you face with the water supply? Is the water not enough? Does the water have an odour?
Woman : Yes the water is bad, sometimes the water has a foul odour, sometimes (?)
Vasant : How many members do you have in your house?
Woman : Five
Vasant : Five. How much water do you require? Approximately
Woman : Approximately 20-30 pitchers. 30 pitchers would be needed.
Vasant : 30 pitchers.
Woman : I can only give a rough estimate because I don't measure it exactly.
Vasant Pandurang Ambore, founding member and now president of Akanksha group is conducting an interview with one of the residents of Inquilab Nagar area in Sarvodaya Nagar.

The woman continues that, then people filled water by queuing up and filling four pitchers at a time. As of now, everybody has got connection in their houses. However the pressure is too low. Most of the residents aren't able to fill enough water even if they are filling water from 4 to 8.30. Even so, some residents get water and some don't, hence some residents end up borrowing water from neighbors. The residents get the bill for the water once in three months, which they divide by the members of the committee.

The residents complain that often the water is dirty, and sometimes it even smells and sometimes the water is also clean. According to the women her family of five needs at least 30 pitchers of water, though the size of the pitchers is not mentioned.
Akanksha
Ambore
Inquilab Nagar
Jogeshwari
Pandurang
Sarvodaya Nagar
Vasant
borrowing
clean
committee
connection
dirty
pitchers
pressure
water

Bricks and stones are kept to support the pipes is they are not on the ground level. This is done in order to give the pipes a support, other wise the children in the area often use it as springboard and jump on it which could result in leakages in pipes.

Vasant enters a house and is about to start the conversation. (The footage gets cut)

Vasant re-enters the house and greets the camera.
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Woman : I have been living in Jogeshwari since I was child.
Vasant : So how many years will it be approximately?
Woman : Now I am in my 50th year.
Vasant : Since 50 years you have been living in Jogeshwari !!
Woman : Yes. When I was young we were living in Koldongri. I have lived here since my wedding and it has been 27 years since I got married.
Vasant : So you have been living in Inqilab Nagar for 28 years. Then Inqilab Nagar, and now this Jogeshwari settlement....
Bricks
Jogeshwari
Sarvodaya Nagar
Vasant
leakages
pipes
stones

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Vasant : Hello my name is Vasant(). We are doing a research on water and are asking some of our young friends some questions and that is why we have come to meet you. So we'll ask you some questions and give us some brief answers for that. For how many years are you living here?
Boy : Thirteen
Vasant : Thirteen years. Name !! First tell me your name.
Boy : Sanket Sadashivrao (?)
Vasant : For how many years are you living here?
Boy : Thirteen.
Vasant : Thirteen years. So you were once small and now you have been growing up for thirteen years. So in the thirteen years the water that you get, be it water that comes to your home, to the chawl or the water that comes to your surroundings, tell us something related to water.
Boy : The water pipe is broken at places and when the water comes in the morning then the water is bad.
Vasant : Is the water bad when the pipe is broken or all the time?
Boy : No, the pipe is broken and sometimes the water is bad and there is a possibility of people getting sick because of that. Even when the water is clean people face a lot of difficulties to get that water.
Vasant : What time does the water supply start at your place?
Boy : 5 o'clock
Vasant : And when it starts at 5, for how long does it remain?
Boy : 3 hours
Vasant gives a brief intro to a thirteen year old boy as to why he is conducting the interview and asks him to narrate an incident about water from his experiences in the area.

The boy explains as to how water reaches the area through the pipes. Some residents get water in the morning whereas some residents get water in the evening. He also said that at times they even get dirty water. The reason cited was due to leakages in the pipes, though he mentions that even without the leakages, they often get the water which is dirty. The boy is also aware that the dirty water may harm the people in the area and can be a reason for their illness. The boy being a resident of the area is also aware that the people have to face a lot of problems in order to receive water. The water in his area comes at five o'clock and the supply continues for the next three hours.

Being only thirteen years old the boy is fully aware of his surroundings and of things that occur there. Hakim remembers the time when he was eleven years old and would carry two five-ten litres gallons filled with water over the distance of 300-400 meters when the water was shortage in supply in his area of Virar.
Jogeshwari
Sarvodaya Nagar
Vasant
aware
dirty
harm
leakages
pipes
problems
shortage
supply
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The conversation-cum-interview continues between Vasant and the boy. The boy mentions that since the water supply is only for three hours, at many times they are not able to get adequate water to fulfill all the needs. But, if lucky, they are able to store and fill the necessary amount of water required to fulfill their needs.

The boy also shares how he, along with his friends enjoy playing in the water. If he is in village, he enjoys playing in the stream of river. There is abundant joy when playing in water and looking at various fishes and other aquatic life. The boy also has fun during monsoons when he is out with his friends getting wet in the rain.

The footage cuts back to Vasant's interview-cum-conversation with an old lady living in the area of Inquilab Nagar in Sarvodaya Nagar. The women is not pleased with false promises made by the officials in the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) as everyone keeps saying things like, it will happen, it is happening etc. She is also furious with other residents living in the area as they were deciding on taking a new connection, but midway everyone got silenced. The women also decided to remain silent as if only she speaks, i is assumed that she is the only one having problems. She aldo gives a recent example of how she wasn't able to fill water from the connection in her house and had to go outside to get water.
Vasant : So is 3 hours water supply enough?
Boy : It's enough and (at times more)
Vasant : So each of you have your own meter or is there a committee?
Boy : There is a committee.
Vasant : So do you take number or how does your mother take water?
Boy : My mother fills from a place next door, they have a tap in their house
Vasant : So do you take a number?
Boy : No, we fill it ourselves
Vasant : So you fill yourself....Tell me something interesting/funny about water...tell me any funny/interesting story about water.
Boy : Any thing
Vasant : Yes anything
Boy : I love to bathe in the river in my village and I love to play in the water. We have a lot of fun while playing in water. We can see the different types of fish and shells in the water.
Vasant : That means you have a lot of fun and water has a lot of fun qualities.... Now the monsoons are coming, what are going to do in the monsoon?
Boy : In the monsoon we will go out and get wet in the rain.
Vasant : You will get wet with your friends.
Girl : Sir, stop.
Vasant : Good...

Woman : Who's going to ask? And who will listen to our complaints? If we go and tell anyone, (the answer is) 'wait, we'll come'. Other than this there is no law. For 4-8 days everyone said lets get a tap and a new line but now it's gone cold.
Vasant : That means you had made an application for a new tap to the BMC...
Woman : Not to the BMC, but there was a consensus building over here but now that issue has gone cold. Nobody looks at anyone else. Now what can we do? If everyone wants to remain silent even we remained silent. Where can we go alone. If we say any thing, then they would say 'only these(we) are saying'
Vasant : Right....
Woman : Today there was no water, I took water from there... from that side.
BMC
Inquilab Nagar
Jogeshwari
Sarvodaya Nagar
Vasant
adequate
amount
aquatic
false
fishes
life
monsoons
necessary
officials
playing
promises
river
supply
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Vasant Pandurang Ambore, founding member and now president of Akanksha group gives a brief introduction about the area and of what is he going to do. It's time for the supply of water in the area of Meghwadi in Sarvodaya Nagar. People are busy storing water in barrels (drums), buckets and plastic bottles. One of the residents is cleaning the veranda of her house with water. The scene is not as chaotic as it happens in the area of Sanjay Nagar.

There is a visual of a single big pipe traveling along the lane in this area unlike number of small pipes that denote illegal connection in the area of Prem Nagar.
Akanksha
Jogeshwari
Meghwadi
Prem Nagar
Sanjay Nagar
Sarvodaya Nagar
Vasant
Vasant : Right now we are at Meghwadi, Inqilab nagar. Here we are going to talk some women about water and take their interview. So we'll go right away to their homes and get information about water.
Man : Why the camera?
Vasant : We are making a film about water, thats why...
barrels
bottles
buckets
connection
illegal
introduction
pipe
plastic
supply
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Two of the three big pipes carrying water in the area of Hari Nagar in Sarvodaya Nagar are leaking and the water is coming out in full force. The leak in the pipes have been tried to block by wrapping plastic bags over the pipes, though one can see that it is of no help. There is a lot of garbage and waste materials below the pipe. The leaking pipes and the waste below it could pollute the water in the pipes which in turn may have harmful effects on the residents living in that area. How much amount of water seems to be wasted is a question, where people already have problems in getting water.

The camera pans towards a well which looks as it is no longer in use. The well is full of waste and garbage which have been dumped inside, may be by the residents themselves or by people passing by the well. The major component of waste in the well is plastic, along with garlands, and other waste.

The camera pans into another location where one can see two taps of a connection that are joined individually to two different sets of rubber pipe. The residents adjoining the tap look too lazy even to come outside their houses to fill water as the one more pipe is connected to the pipe that is already connected to the tap, so that the water could be filled in the comfort of one's house.
Hari Nagar
Jogeshwari
Sarvodaya Nagar
bags
connection
garbage
garlands
harmful
leaking
pipes
plastic
problems
taps
waste
water
well

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Vasant : Right now we are standing at the well in Meghwadi. As was narrated earlier the people of Meghwadi used to come an fill water here and also people living far away used to come to take water from this well. Now the condition of the well is not good. We'll take a look at it.

Vasant : What is the condition of water? How was it earlier and how is it now?
Akanksha
Hari Nagar
Jogeshwari
Meghwadi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Vasant
footwear
garbage
garlands
plastic
waste
water
well

thesis5
Thesis5 THE ARCHIVE DEALS NOT ONLY WITH THE REMNANT BUT ALSO WITH THE RESERVE An image of waste, garbage, what has been discarded, floating on top of a well and possibly poisoning the water. The remnant contaminates the reserve. But what if notionally we chose to see the underlying well as a property of the remnant itself. That the reserve already inheres in the remnant as what has not been deployed in it, the part of the event to which it bears witness that has not yet been actualized and remains to be seen. Viewed in this light the distinction between remnant and reserve becomes more blurred.

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Vasant : I am Vasant. We are doing a study on water. So now we are now focusing on Harinagar and the water situation here. Please tell us your name.
Woman : My name is Savitri Ashok (Salunke). I live in Harinagar. Earlier there was no regular water supply here, but now there is and for about half an hour to an hour the water is bad and has a foul odour. Earlier it used to be like sewage.
Vasant : For how many hours does the water supply last?
Woman : The water supply starts at 4(pm) and stops at 10 in the evening.
Vasant : Is that much water enough?
Woman : Yes it is enough.
Vasant : Do you have a committee or..?
Woman : We have a committee.
Vasant : After how many months do you get the water bill?
Woman : We get the bill every three months.
Vasant : So do the committee members pay or...
Woman : Each one pays separately. Taps have been allocated to everyone.
Vasant : This well, Since how many has it been here?
Woman : It has been here since before I was born.
Vasant : This well.
Woman : Yes
Vasant : How was this well earlier?
Woman : Earlier it was level with the ground and the people living here had half made this well. The rest of the construction was done by Nakashe.
Vasant : Do people take water from here?
Woman : Now they don't take. Earlier people used to take a lot of water and also because earlier there were no taps.
Vasant : So earlier people used to take water from this well.
Woman : (?)
Vasant : So is it always closed like this?
Woman : Yes it is closed.
Vasant : Always closed..
Woman : Always closed.
Vasant : Does the BMC treat this water?
Woman : Yes it does in one month, sometimes two or two and a half.

Vasant : This well is very old and we would like to know something about it from you. First please tell us your name.
Man : Ashok (?) Savant
Vasant : Please tell us something about the water of this well since the time you have been living here.
Man : Before (?) everyone from Harinagar used to drink this water. After people got taps wells' (upsah jhala nahi). After that some people started throwing stuff, such as (al), into the well. Because of that the water in the well has become bad. After that we () 7 feet
Vasant : 7 feet
Man : Yes
Vasant Pandurang Ambore, founding member and now president of Akanksha group is having a conversation with a woman who is a resident of the area of Hari Nagar in Sarvodaya Nagar.

The woman mentions that previously the supply of water wasn't proper, the water which they used used to get looked like water from the sewer. As of now there is improvement in the supply of water and also that the water is dirty and has a foul odour for the first half hour of the supply. The duration of the supply of water is from four in the evening to ten at night and is sufficient for the residents in this area. Also the connection of water is shared by a committee which has distributed the connection of water supply to the people, they recieve the bill for the connection, once in three months.

The woman says that the well has existed even before she was born. Previously the well was almost to the level of ground, and was gradually constructed by the residents and the corporator in that area Vrushali Nakashe. Also previously when there were no taps people would use the well, but as of now it is not in use, and remains closed. Since a lot of waste is in the well, the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) sprays insecticides and pesticides once on two months or on monthly basis.

Vasant also spoke to one of the male residents in the area of Hari Nagar. According to the man, before 1982, the people from the area used to drink water from the well, which stopped when tap water was introduced. The well is 7 feet deep in dimensions.
1982
Akanksha
BMC
Hari Nagar
Jogeshwari
Sarvodaya Nagar
Vasant
Vrushali Nakashe
bill
committee
corporator
dirty
drink
insecticides
odour
pesticides
sewer
supply
taps
water

Man : We removed a lot of filth from the well but there is still a lot more left. To remove all the trash from the well would require atleast 50-60 thousand rupees. 1 lakh rupees would be a good estimate.
Vasant : Does the BMC not maintain it?
Man : No the BMC doesn't. We had even once registered a complaint. Once through my sisters contact we had got the work done.
Vasant : The cleaning up work...
Man : 10-20 fish, weighing 3-4 kg, have died. If there are any, there might be a few small fish and a tortoise.
Vasant : There is a tortoise also there?
Man : Yes, there is a tortoise.
Vasant : And now tell us something about the water situation. What time does the water come? Is the water good or bad?
Man : The drinking water...
Vasant : Earlier you used to drink water from this well?
Man : Of course we used to drink. Earlier this was the only source of drinking water.
Vasant : Were there no taps back then?
Man : No, there were no taps. There were a few, but because they used to be common taps some used to get water some wouldn't.(?)One boy also died at Shivaji nagar on the issue of taps. In () Dattaji Nalawade was the Mahapur. We had written a letter to him saying that this is a serious issue. And after that
() Chaggan Bhujbal who were in the committee
After that when Raghnat Savant sent a letter to the Mayor
Vasant : Now that there are taps how is the water? For how many hours is the water supply?
Man : Water supply starts at 3:30 in the afternoon, earlier it used to be till 4 now it stops at 4:30.
Vasant : Do you have a committee?
Man : Yes we used to have a committee of 5 taps, which now has reduced to four.
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The conversation between Vasant and the man continues in the area of Hari Nagar in the area of Sarvodaya Nagar. The man said that the residents had tried to clear the waste from the well, but there is a lot more garbage inside, the cost of cleaning the well comes up to one lac rupees. Also the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) is not a part of maintenance of the well. Previously when they cleaned the well, the cost was taken from a fund. Fishes weighing 2-3 kilos are lying dead in the well, the only living being the well is a turtle along with some small fishes.

The man describes that the well water was used for drinking before the supply of water supply started. There were a lot of problems regarding the supply of water earlier. It was to an extent that people used to fight for water, a resident from the area of Shivaji Nagar, even lost his life. The man further describes how he and other residents met many officials and wrote application application to the officials in the government like Mayor, the chief of BMC etc.
Also as of now the timings of water supply has changed from 3.30 in the afternoon to 4.30 pm. The men is a part of a committee of five taps connection which has now reduced to four.
BMC
Hari Nagar
Jogeshwari
Sarvodaya Nagar
Shivaji Nagar
Vasant
application
connection
drinking
fishes
garbage
government
officials
supply
taps
turtle
waste
water
well

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The conversation between Vasant and the man from the are of Hari Nagar continues. The man elaborates that the situation of the supply of water is better as of now and that a new pipeline has been installed recently in the area. Since it is the municipality connection, even they receive their bills, once in three months. He explains how the connection taken inside the houses are not unauthorized and are illegal.

Vasant is standing near a BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) tap, the water is coming but, it seems that no one is interested in filling water. On questioning a woman about this, she said that they are done filling water. The camera pans to a water meter which is used to assess the usage of water, based on which the residents are charged. The meter look like a speedometer on the motorbikes. Vasant commented that the hand in the meter is moving faster than normal. One of the resident said that their bill is around rupees two hundred every three months.
Vasant : In how many month does the bill come?
Man : The bill comes every 3 months.
Vasant : So now is the water enough?
Man : Yes it is enough...
Vasant : We have taken one more connection from Mandal
Man : Thw thing is that the water connection to peoples homes are unauthorised, its not legal.
Vasant : Is the issue of water still there?
Man : The situation of water is organised.

Vasant : We are now looking at the public tap of the BMC. We have come to the Harinagar and this is the common tap. Nobody comes to fill water here.
Woman : We are done filling water.
Vasant : It is moving fast.
Woman : It is moving very fast.
Vasant : How much do you pay for water?
Woman : For 3 months we get a bill of around rupees two hundred.
BMC
Hari Nagar
Jogeshwari
Sarvodaya Nagar
Vasant
bills
connection
illegal
meter
municipality
pipeline
supply
unauthorized
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Vasant Pandurang Ambore, founding member and now president of Akanksha group is having a conversation with a woman who is a resident of Devraj Yadav chawl (lane) in the area of Hari Nagar in Sarvodaya Nagar.

The woman mentions that there are few people who use the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) tap water, since many of them have got a private connection for themselves in their homes. The people who fill from the BMC tap are mainly residents who are staying on rent in the area. The woman does not know of the bill for using the BMC tap water, but for the private connection she pays approximately two hundred rupees for three months. The woman has a private connection which has been situated outside her house, as there was a problem regarding low pressure of water when she had the connection inside her house.

The footage ends in a bathroom of a household where the supply of water is in full force and all the buckets and vessels are filled to the brim.
Akanksha
BMC
Hari Nagar
Jogeshwari
Sarvodaya Nagar
Vasant
Vasant : For how many years have you been living here?
Woman : It's been 10-11 years () and we lived in Prem Nagar for 2-3 years.
Vasant : So is this BMC's tap and you also have a private one...
Woman : Yes. The BMC tap is because people living here on rent use to fill it from here. Now that this new connection has come everybody has a tap at home.
Vasant : So do people use BMC's water?
Woman : yes they use. For example she uses BMC water as she has rented the place and a couple people don't have a tap in their house so they use it.
Vasant : So does the BMC charge people for the water?
Woman : This you will have to ask the people in those 4 houses who are using it.
Vasant : So do you have a committee for the private water?
Woman : Yes there is a committee for the private water...
Vasant : So what are the charges for the private water?
Woman : It comes every three months, around 200-210 rupees.
Vasant : This the area of Harinagar
Woman : Yes Harinagar...
Vasant : What is the name of the lane?
Woman : Devraj Yadav chawl (lane)
Vasant : Where were you filling water before this?
Woman : We always had a private connection. When we needed more we used to fill from this tap. We used to fill from the tap near the Chakki
Vasant : And where is the private tap?
Woman : There..Earlier it was inside the house but because there was a problem we shifted it out.
bill
buckets
connection
pressure
private
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Suraksha and Rashmi, volunteers from Akanksha group, just got to know how to use a handy cam, in a workshop session by Ashok Sukumaran and Shaina Anand along with Nikhil Anand. The girls are trying to get familiar with the handy cam, by shooting the surroundings with it.
Akanksha
Ashok Sukumaran
Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Nikhil Anand
Nikhil Anand
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Shaina Anand
Suraksha

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Suraksha and Rashmi, volunteers from Akanksha group are shooting the surrounding areas in Sarvodaya Nagar. This ground is known as Nana-Nani Park, (Nana refers to Maternal Grandfather, Nani refers to Maternal Grandmother). The ground is also host to various activities and programmes conducted by local youth group known as Ekta Mitra Mandal (Unity Friends Group). Children often are seen playing cricket on this ground.

The ground had a well in around the year 1996 to 1999 which was then demolished. The reason being, a couple of people had committed suicide by jumping into the well. The well water was not used for any purposes. Children were prohibited to go near the well as it was believed that the spirits of those who had committed suicide roamed around it.
Akanksha
Ekta
Jogeshwari
Mandal
Mitra
Mumbai
Nana
Nani
Park
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Suraksha
demolished
spirits
suicide

Its 5 pm in Inquilab Nagar, and it's time for the water supply from BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation). But the supply of water hasn't begun. Suraksha is having a conversation with a few girls living in the area about water, it's supply and problems regarding it. Water is of utmost importance in the area, so much that it often leads to verbal argument between the residents, though never goes to the extent of verbal abuse or fight.

Even though the girls and Suraksha are familiar with each other, they are feeling shy and are a bit embarrassed as they are being recorded. Rashmi and Suraksha are finding it tough to switch between Tele and Wide mode on the handy cam. This comes across as abrupt zoom in's and zoom out's. A sound, similar to that of a blower is heard, which leads to a tap.
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
BMC
Inquilab Nagar
Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Suraksha
abuse
conversation
fight
tap
verbal
water

Pinky! How are you? I dont
Pinky!
I dont feel right...(laughs)
That works for me!
Laugh some more...
Come on! Laugh, no?

A long time ago, CAMP worked with two youth groups in Jogeshwari, making videos about water, and its own everyday, which at the time was also going to be under a World Bank plan to, for example, have "prepaid water meters". So if you ran out of money, they would cut your water off. This thankfully was resisted, and no such thing exists today.
The girls with their video camera. New medium for expression. Should the native informant speak?

Were still not getting used to this...tele and wide.
No...
Oh here it is (the tele/zoom)
Look what beautiful hands Pinky has...
here...
Pinky?
Look at the teeth. Close-up smile!

I don't know how to show it to her. (flip the screen)

You're learning how to use the camera?

Hmm...

Hey, I can't find it...

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The sound which is seems like a blower is coming from the tap. Actually it is the air which gets filled in the water pipe. When the water supply starts, the air is forced out of the pipes followed by the water. As of now, Suraksha is holding the handy cam and instructs Rashmi to touch a droplet of water on the tap. The water starts coming out of the pipe. The water stops in between but continues as Rashmi taps the tap. The visual image of the water on the hands seems to excite Suraksha as she keeps praising about it to Rashmi.

For a while the girls are busy shooting the visual of water flowing, which is as clear as the packaged drinking water. Though the water supply has begun, no one seems to be around to fill the water. Suraksha tries her bit by calling out people to inform them about water supply. The girls realise that they are actually wasting water by keeping the tap on.
Jogeshwari
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Suraksha
drinking
drinking
image
packaged
pipe
supply
tap
visual
wasting
water

They've come to do a survey! Rowdy kids.

On water...

Reshma, put your hands on the spout. On the water spout...

This is grade A! Nothing like this.

Nothing compares to this.

Beautiful!

Yes keep your hands cupped like that.

Exquisite. So beautiful.

I feel so happy looking at this...

Hey, Lets get a bucket, were wasting water!

A small stream of water is created by the running water which finds its way into a sewer. A girl is filling water through a rubber pipe in a plastic tub. There are many small barrels around her which are used as storage devices for storing water.

Since a single water connection is shared by a group of seven to ten residents, everybody cannot fill the water at a same time. The residents divide the time among themselves in order to fill water. So, for an hour, a member of the group would fill water followed by the other member for the next hour. Again a point that is reiterated is that water can be a reason for a lot of verbal argument between the residents or members of a water connection.

The girls and fellow residents are very much amused and excited since they are being recorded by Suraksha on the handy cam.
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Sarvodaya Nagar
argument
barrels
connection
devices
sewer
storage
stream
verbal
water

Most of the residents in this area do not have tanks to store water. Instead, they use plastic buckets and tubs for storing water. Also the huge buckets used for packaging paints and adhesive are used as storage devices apart from big barrels (drums) that has a capacity ranging from two hundred to five hundred litres.

Also one can notice the concrete sewer lids used for covering the sewer. The sewer passes in the middle under the lane. However the sewer in this area does not flood in monsoons as is a common case in most slums and chawls.
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Sarvodaya Nagar
barrels
buckets
flood
monsoons
plastic
sewer
slums
storage
tanks
water

Rashmi gets a call from Nikhil to convey that he isn't at his house and would call them regarding when to meet. Till then Suraksha and Rashmi have ample time to shoot more footage and get more information regarding water from the residents in the area.

The minor girl in the footage is responsible for filling water for her house, since both her parents are at work. She is seen filling water in huge buckets and barrels by smaller pitcher which she can lift.
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Nikhil
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Suraksha
barrels
pitcher
water

It's the time of water supply. Every one is busy filling water. It is seen that women play an important role in terms of filling water. Men are hardly seen helping their female counter parts in filling water except if heavy barrels (drums) are involved. One can see that even girls lift as much as two pitchers at one time.

One cannot see much of pipes carrying water in the lanes as it is underneath the slabs used for reconstructing roads in the lane. Also majority of the residents have taps installed in their houses.
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Sarvodaya Nagar
barrels
pipes
pitchers
supply
taps
water
women

People are busy filling water for their households. Two women agree to answers question regarding water. The complaints of the women range from the low pressure of water to verbal arguments that keep happening between residents for water. The verbal fights if gets worst are then reported to secretary or the person in charge of the group who share a connection. The person in charge or the secretary's decision is abided by all.

Suraksha also commented that the timing for supply of water is also the time for evening tea for many families. Some have tea before filling the water, where as some have tea after the chores of filling water is completed. The blue coloured barrels also known as drums are popularly used as storing devices and as substitute for tanks.

The voyeuristic way which Suraksha and Rashmi adapt in terms of shooting, often results in 'stunned' as a reaction by the residents.
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Suraksha
arguments
barrels
chores
connection
pressure
secretary
supply
tanks
tea
verbal
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
This is the house of the Parab's, who had agreed to Suraksha and Rashmi to shoot indoors as to record the process of filling water, pressure of the water in the tap etc. One can notice that there are no tanks in the house and the area next to the bathroom houses various steel pitchers and a small steel tank. The water for drinking purposes is generally filled in steel containers and water for other purposes is filled in plastic containers and barrels. The bathroom has no light hence one cannot see the tap. Though one can hear the water dripping since the pressure is low. Finally, Mr Parab comes to the rescue with a match, to shed some light on the dripping water.

The motive of Parab family to agree on shooting their house was that they believed that this recording will be shown to the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) officials, who in turn would take some action that could help in solving the problems of water.
BMC
Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Suraksha
barrels
containers
drinking
officials
pitchers
plastic
pressure
problems
tanks
tap
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
This is the house of the Parab's, who had agreed to Suraksha and Rashmi to shoot indoors as to record the process of filling water, pressure of the water in the tap etc. The bathroom has no light hence one cannot see the tap. Though one can hear the water dripping since the pressure is low.

When asked to say about her experience on 26th July, 2005 when the city of Mumbai was flooded, Mrs. Parab said that the sewers of that area got choked and the drain that leads the waste from the bathroom to the sewer got flooded and water from the sewer started to accumulate in their bathroom. Also the boy in the family got embarrassed when asked the question whether he helps his mother in filling the water. His first answer is 'no', which he quickly rectifies to 'yes'.

The green colored pipe is actually inserted in a pipe for tap connection. The tap and remaining of the pipe have been cut off due to low pressure in the supply of water. 'Cut off' refers to the tap being disconnected from elbow (an 'L' shaped joint) which connects the tap and the pipe.
26
2005
Jogeshwari
July
Mumbai
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Suraksha
connection
flood
pipe
pressure
sewer
supply
tap
water

Jogeshwari
Meghwadi
Mumbai
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Suraksha
The footage is of the Meghwadi area in Sarvodaya Nagar. There is an old woman who is complaining about the inefficient supply of water. She says that there have been problems in getting water for past two years. Even when one of the tap is turned on, the water does not come. The main reason for this is the low pressure in pipes. The solution to this is often cutting off the pipes. 'Cutting off' refers to the tap being disconnected from elbow (an 'L' shaped joint) which connects the tap and the pipe. The other solution to this problem is to reduce the height of the tap to the lowest possible level, next to the ground.

The old woman is dishing out some witty statements when asked her about the situation of water in the area. Other residents are curious to know why Suraksha and Rashmi are recording with a handy cam. This curiosity also makes the residents question both of them.
height
pipes
pressure
problems
supply
tap
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
There seems to be an anger in people regarding the inefficient supply of water. At one point it feels that Suraksha and Rashmi are putting words in the mouth of the residents, on second thought it looks like they are just helping the residents recall the problems and difficulty they have regarding water in general.

Some residents face the problem of the pressure being low, some of them have complaints regarding receiving no water at all. A lot of commotion happens when everybody tries to convey their problems.
Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Suraksha
pressure
problems
supply
water

Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Prem Nagar
Rashmi
Sanjay Nagar
Sarvodaya Nagar
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Some of the residents get water after eight o'clock in the night. They ask Suraksha and Rashmi to come at seven in the evening, as during that time there is abundant supply of water. One of the residents has a complain, that waste water from one of the buildings gets accumulated in their area.

A familiar sight is seen of the trademark blue barrels (drums) that are kept outside the houses for the purpose of storing water as people here do not have loft tanks installed in their houses. These barrels are a common sight in all the slums be it Prem Nagar, Sanjay Nagar or Sarvodaya Nagar.
Suraksha
barrels
slums
supply
tanks
waste
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The residents of Sarvodaya Nagar have to face one problem every monsoons apart from the regular shortage of water supply. The problem is that every year most of the houses are flooded during monsoon. The houses are flooded either due to the blocking of sewer which results in reversal of drainage, that is the waste water gets accumulated in the house through the bathroom, or due to the overflowing of the sewer, which results in waster water flowing through the lanes and causing the houses to flood. The flooding which happens is not severe, apart from the case of 26th July when the entire city of Mumbai was flooded, disrupting the city transport systems, electricity and claiming many lives.
26
Jogeshwari
July
Mumbai
Sarvodaya Nagar
electricity
flood
monsoons
problem
sewer
shortage
supply
systems
transport
waste
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
This is one more family which was welcoming and had no qualms in sharing the information regarding water to Suraksha and Rashmi, both volunteers from Akanksha group.

The women in the family says that previously they had to face lot of problems when the supply of water used to start at seven in the evening. She was able to complete all her household chores like washing clothes and cleaning utensils, only when she was able to store the water for the next day. She would get free of all her chores very late at night. Now however she doesn't have to face these problems as she has gotten a new connection, in which water comes with quite a force as one would be able to see in the footage. The man in the family jokingly said to the woman not show Suraksha and Rashmi the supply of water, as the supply was in force, which is not the case with many households in that area who face the shortage of water.

Previously before the municipality connection, the resident had to go far on the main road to get water. At times they even had to purchase water from a woman in a housing board colony next to their area. On 26th July when the entire city of Mumbai was flooded, disrupting the city transport system, electricity and claiming many lives, the male residents of the area were busy cleaning the sewers so that water could pass effectively.
26
Akanksha
Jogeshwari
July
Mumbai
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Suraksha
chores
cleaning
cleaning
connection
electricity
flood
municipality
problem
sewer
shortage
supply
system
transport
washing
water

Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
The woman is speaking about her memories of the floods that happened in Mumbai on 26th July, 2005. It incidentally was also the birthday of her youngest son. The water level in the city as well as the area had gradually risen throughout the day. People were left stranded even on the main roads as water level was increasing hampering the transport system and privately owned vehicles.

Groups of people especially the youths were out on the streets helping those who were stranded, by forming human chains. This was done as people don't fall in the manholes as the lids of the sewer were thrown open to allow the water accumulated on the roads find an outlet.

One of the other difficulty which she had previously was the timing of water which was constantly changing. As the supply of water used to be at seven in the evening, her older son used to get water from outside the area, in order to fulfil the need regarding water throughout the day. As of now, the situation has improved quite a bit as she has got a new connection which is shared only by six members in the area. The woman jokes that had it been seventeen members sharing the connection, swear words woud be in the air. By this the woman meant that more the members, less time for filling water, low pressure in pipes etc which often could lead to verbal arguments, worst being exchange of swear words.
26
2005
Jogeshwari
July
Mumbai
Sarvodaya Nagar
argument
connection
flood
manhole
pressure
sewer
supply
swear
system
transport
verbal
water
words

Jogeshwari
Mumbai
Rashmi
Sarvodaya Nagar
Sarvodaya Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai
Suraksha
The woman describes that previously there was shortage in supply of water. Then the residents often used to get caught in verbal arguments which when got worst resulted in exchange of swear words. The woman said that even after swearing, the residents didn't get enough water then. This situation made the residents cut off the pipes in order to receive water. The situation only got better when new connection was taken with few members, though the situation is still not completely under control.

Another resident has agreed to let Suraksha and Rashmi record only on the condition that they would not capture her in the frame, however they do manage to capture her filling water in the bathroom. The footage ends with a half filled barrel.
arguments
barrel
connection
pipes
shortage
supply
swear
verbal
water
words

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