Situated right next to the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mankhurd or Annabhau Sathe Nagar is an area which might be beyond some of ours imagination. But that’s the thing about Mumbai, right next to a fancy high rise, there’s a slum. And this probably adds to the charm of the city, which is for all.
As a new comer into the city, we were slowly getting used to the topography of the city. But Sathe Nagar was different. What makes this place and its residents different is the inhumane condition they are exposed to.
Sathe Nagar is situated right next to the Deonar Dumping ground and right in front of Mumbai’s only Medical incinerator plant. So basically, this highly populated area is situated right next to all the dirt and garbage of the city.
Remember the time when the entire Mumbai was clogged with smog and smell from the fire of the Dumping ground? Remember how the residents of Chembur took out a rally complaining about how inhumane it is to have such an unregulated dumping ground and how it is affecting the air quality? Well, Sathe Nagar is prone to what Mumbai faced for a few weeks, all round the year.
Our impression of our first visit to the area was a very nerve wreaking one. Most of us came from less densely populated place and Sathe Nagar looked very claustrophobic to us. With heaps of garbage around and the un-breathable air, we were muffled as to how this place qualified as a residential area. It wasn’t about the fact that it’s a slum, but the dirt and unhygienic surrounding makes it an imaginable habitat.
Our first visit as a team to the area was on a Sunday, we us entering the locality via the road right in front of the Medical incinerator plant. As we walked by, we could see residents clogged in the narrow lanes, trying to fill water with pipes ranging meters long. With very less space available to each resident and with unmanaged waste scattered all around, one could not imagine the space the residents are living in.
We needed to learn about the area, we needed to know this area even more. What brought us to Sathe Nagar was the medical waste plant, the land mark we just talked about. Secondary research brought into light that this plant has been in a debate due to its close physical proximity to a residential area. There were reports about people complaining about the plant being a cause of health hazard for everyone residing around it. Moreover, there were allegations that there was a flaw within the functioning of the plan, as they did not properly treat some waste, which later becomes a big hazard for those working in the plan and also for those residing in the nearby areas.
All these forced us to visit the area and when we did, we already wrote about what we felt. Our first in fact strengthened our determination to work in area. There were narratives and stories in the area that needs to be heard and we will do so.
Hence, we started working on the documentary.
