Mumbai’s guardian minister Jayant Patil does not dream of transforming the city into another Shanghai.
Doing some plain talk, he said that only skywalks, flyovers and roads cannot take Mumbai to the heights that the Chinese city has scaled. Proper basic infrastructure, he asserts, has to be the base of a dream city.
According to him, treatment and recycling of sewage is the need of the hour. The city cannot continue polluting the sea discharging 60% of sewage into it.
“I don’t think any other international city would be draining down sewage directly into the sea at this rate. An aerial view shows how the sea around the city is polluted. Treatment of sewage will not only allow us to keep environmental balance, but also help us overcome the water woes,” he said.
“The city witnessed severe water shortage this summer. If the sewage is treated and the water recycled, it can be used at least for washing and other non-drinking purposes. While planning transformation of the city, it is also important to focus on such basic infrastructural projects.”
Patil said if water stagnation is one of the reasons for malaria, the potholes on roads leading to the stagnation is an example of lack of proper infrastructure. “Only skywalks and flyovers cannot turn the city into another Shanghai.”
The minister said that basic sanitation in the city should also be taken care of. “Nearly 3,00,000 workers are engaged in the 2,500 construction works that are in progress across the city. Most of them are from outside the state and there is a possibility that they carry malaria into the city. A regular check-up of these workers is the responsibility of the builders. The builders have been asked to take adequate precautions to control the disease,” he said.
Patil praised the civic body for its performance during the outbreak. “I don’t think BMC lacked anywhere. The downpour was so heavy that the outbreak went haywire. Their measures were satisfactory.”
