Sorry, but Mumbai does not give a s**t
Mumbai: Any other city in the world would have been ashamed at figuring in the list of the 10 most dirtiest cities, but Mumbai couldnt care less. It is already on the list of the most congested cities and the list of cities with the costliest real estate, but these realities do not affect the people who matter.
The elite of Mumbai live in the British-built areas of the island city which are remarkably clean and green. The noveaux riche live in private enclaves in the suburbs which are insulated from the grime and garbage outside.
But the real reason why Mumbai will never react to being called a filthy city is because the average Mumbaikar has over the years got accustomed to the dirt. He has never lived in clean surroundings. Squalour has become a part of his life.
Open garbage dumps, squatters defecating along the railway tracks and h i g h w ay s, stinking public toilets, rat-infested railway stations, and even medical waste dumped in the openMumbai is a toilet city, Purishapuri.
Mumbaikars who want to live in clean environs simply escape to Thane and Navi Mumbai. But the stench of Mumbai gets into their nostrils every morning as they commute to work by the trains which pass through large stretches that are openair tiolets.
There are only 1,300 payand-use toilets for a population of approximately 14 million people, which comes to one public toilet for nearly 11,000 people.
Government surveys show that one-fourth of slum dwellers defecate in the open. No wonder pathogens as crippling as the polio virus spread despite a long and sustained Pulse Polio campaign.
The lack of open spaces and the frenetic construction activity have not only led to heat islands where temperatures can go up to 42 degrees Celsius but have also spawned particulate matter which has emerged as the silent killer. Century-old water pipes mean outbreaks of jaundice, gastro and even cholera.
Pe r h ap s, nowhere is Mumbais tolerance to filth more apparent than in its public hospitals. Paan-stained corridors and overflowing dustbins arent a rare sight.
The stench of the toilets prevades the wards. With patients relatives living in corridors, it isnt unusual to see tid-bits strewn around in what should be anti-septic surroundings.
Residents living around the Sion hospital, for instance, recently had several complaints about the hospital dumping its non-medical waste into an open ground just behind the hospital. Only after months of citizens protests did the civic body clean the mess up.
One of the biggest culprits is the corrupt and lethargic civic administration, which cannot hold its conservancy workers accountable. In fact, if it were not for citizens initiatives even the beaches would not be clean.
OVERALL QUALITY OF LIVING
1. Zurich, Switzerland 2. Geneva, Switzerland 3. Vancouver, Canada; Vienna, Austria 5. Auckland, New Zealand; Dusseldorf, Germany 7 . Frankfurt, Germany 8. Munich, Germany 9. Bern, Switzerland; Sydney, Australia
ASIA’S BEST
The elite of Mumbai live in the British-built areas of the island city which are remarkably clean and green. The noveaux riche live in private enclaves in the suburbs which are insulated from the grime and garbage outside.
But the real reason why Mumbai will never react to being called a filthy city is because the average Mumbaikar has over the years got accustomed to the dirt. He has never lived in clean surroundings. Squalour has become a part of his life.
Open garbage dumps, squatters defecating along the railway tracks and h i g h w ay s, stinking public toilets, rat-infested railway stations, and even medical waste dumped in the openMumbai is a toilet city, Purishapuri.
Mumbaikars who want to live in clean environs simply escape to Thane and Navi Mumbai. But the stench of Mumbai gets into their nostrils every morning as they commute to work by the trains which pass through large stretches that are openair tiolets.
There are only 1,300 payand-use toilets for a population of approximately 14 million people, which comes to one public toilet for nearly 11,000 people.
Government surveys show that one-fourth of slum dwellers defecate in the open. No wonder pathogens as crippling as the polio virus spread despite a long and sustained Pulse Polio campaign.
The lack of open spaces and the frenetic construction activity have not only led to heat islands where temperatures can go up to 42 degrees Celsius but have also spawned particulate matter which has emerged as the silent killer. Century-old water pipes mean outbreaks of jaundice, gastro and even cholera.
Pe r h ap s, nowhere is Mumbais tolerance to filth more apparent than in its public hospitals. Paan-stained corridors and overflowing dustbins arent a rare sight.
The stench of the toilets prevades the wards. With patients relatives living in corridors, it isnt unusual to see tid-bits strewn around in what should be anti-septic surroundings.
Residents living around the Sion hospital, for instance, recently had several complaints about the hospital dumping its non-medical waste into an open ground just behind the hospital. Only after months of citizens protests did the civic body clean the mess up.
One of the biggest culprits is the corrupt and lethargic civic administration, which cannot hold its conservancy workers accountable. In fact, if it were not for citizens initiatives even the beaches would not be clean.
OVERALL QUALITY OF LIVING
For overall quality of living, these are the best cities according to Mercer
1. Zurich, Switzerland 2. Geneva, Switzerland 3. Vancouver, Canada; Vienna, Austria 5. Auckland, New Zealand; Dusseldorf, Germany 7 . Frankfurt, Germany 8. Munich, Germany 9. Bern, Switzerland; Sydney, Australia
ASIA’S BEST
34. Singapore 35. Tokyo, Japan 38. Yokohama, Japan 40. Kobe, Japan 42. Osaka, Japan