'We Have Nowhere to Go': Survivors Recall Wall Collapse That Killed 20 in Mumbai

Despite rehabilitation and compensation plans rolled out by the government, survivors grapple with uncertainty.

A landslide in Mumbai's Chembur killed 20 people in July. 

(Photo: Himanshi Dahiya/TheQuint)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj

On 18 July, the world came crashing down for residents of New Bharat Nagar in the eastern Mumbai suburb of Chembur as a landslide triggered by heavy rains killed 20 people and left several others injured.

In days following the landslide, state environment minister, Aaditya Thackeray, visited the site of the incident and assured people of timely rehabilitation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 Lakh for family members of those who were killed.

One month on, The Quint visited New Bharat Nagar and spoke to the survivors who continue to reel under the tragic memories of the incident without much help from authorities.

How Are Survivors Coping?

Priyanka Agrihari, 21, lost her father and three brothers in the landslide. She says that the site of the incident still sends shivers down her spine.

"Initially, we couldn’t figure anything out. Though water was leaking in our kitchen, we didn’t fathom that the house will fall. After some time, I told my mother that water was leaking... she told me to leave everything and move out of the house. So, my mother and I went out to see what the situation was," she told The Quint.

"My father and my brothers were asleep all this while. Suddenly, everything came crashing down. Water came with such force that it took me along. My mother and rest of the family was stuck. Recollecting that incident is really traumatising."

Priyanka Agrihari, Resident, Chembur

Priyanka's aunt Seema Agrihari, who came to help her family on the day of the accident, says that she has never seen anything remotely close to what she saw that day, when the retainer wall collapsed on homes due to the landslide.

"It was a horrible experience. I saw dead bodies being retrieved from the debris, one after the other. I had never seen anything of this scale before," she said.

Debris being cleared from the site of the landslide.

Despite Rehabilitation, Survivors Live Amid Uncertainty

Jyoti Tawde, a resident of New Bharat Nagar, now lives in a rented accommodation with her family. She says that while the landslide has invoked fear among residents, the rehabilitation facilities in Vishnu Nagar and Maroli Church are just temporary solutions.

"They've helped us with accommodations in Vishnu Nagar and Maroli Church. But this a temporary measure. Once the monsoon is over, we will have to come back and live here. This area is prone to landslides. We just saw what happened, how do they expect us to come back?"

Jyoti Tawde, Resident, Chembur

While Jyoti's family decided to rent accommodation despite financial challenges resulting from COVID lockdown, several others do not have this option. The Quint spoke to Nirmala Tayde, whose family is living in a BMC-run school in Maroli Church.

"When they came to make a list of people who had to be rehabilitated, my son was away. Next day, we went to the authorities for help and we were told that our name was taken off the list," she said.

"Will they come to evacuate us, only when we die? We've been placed in this school, but we don't know for how long. Nobody comes here to ask us if we need anything. Tell us, what are we supposed to do?"

Nirmala Tayde, Resident, Chembur

Some of the affected families have been forced to relocate to nearby areas like New Bharat Nagar, in Chembur (seen here). 

A Permanent Solution

According to data by the Mumbai civic body, approximately 22,000 people live in 291 landslide prone areas in the city. Year after year, we witness multiple cases of wall collapses. In the year 2019, 31 people died in a similar incident in the Kurar village in Malad.

While, the state and the central governments have promised help vis-à-vis rehabilitation and compensation, several residents of New Bharat Nagar await a permanent solution.

"When we see our homes, we see a flash of our family members who are no more because of the landslide. Temporary rehabilitation is not the solution we are looking for. The government should give us a home for a home," says Jyoti Tawde.

Priyanka concurs. "They should give us a home at a safe location and also help us get jobs so that I can take care of my mother."

Vishnu Nagar rehabilitation site.