Yet, the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Council (MBMC) is yet to stir itself and take steps to clear the water logging in the area. In fact, since the last seven months, the MBMC has not even called a special meeting to award the contracts for pre-monsoon desilting of drains, which is a necessary ritual.

Entire roads leading to Naya Nagar in Mira Road, Asmita Complex and Shanti Nagar in Bhayander are still clogged with water. The Ghoddeo culvert, industrial area in Bhayander (east) and Cabin road are also under water.In the absence of any civic facilities, harassed residents have no option but to seek their own ways of tackling the problem.

Residents of Shanti Nagar, Naya Nagar and Shital Nagar have had to hire labour to remove water from the entrances of theirbuildings. And shop owners and industrialists have even installed electrical pumps to remove water which has seeped into their establishments.

Rohit Suvarna, president of the Citizen's Front Bhayander, told Express Newsline: ``The dirty accumulated water may pose health hazards for Bhayander residents. The MBMC would be responsible if there is any outbreak of disease due to this.''

MBMC Chief Officer Kalyan Kelkar admitted that flooding is an `annual affair', about which, he stated, little can be done. ``Water logging is inevitable during the rains, as Mira-Bhayander is located on a trough-like patch of land, which does not let accumulated water flow out towards the Zafri creek,'' he said.

``The cleaning of culverts and nullahs is no more a job performed by human labour. We have decided to ask for Poclain (earth movers) machines to clean the Zafri creek, to which all the nullahs and culverts lead,'' Kelkar said.

The chief officer blamed real estate developers and builders for the state of thetownship. ``Every builder has raised the ground level to such an extent that all water flows towards the older buildings in the vicinity.''Interestingly, the Health & Sanitation inspector of the MBMC, Rajkumar

Kamble, told Express Newsline that the move to bring in Poclains is a `waste', as spending Rs 800 an hour on hiring a Poclain machine will serve no purpose for the council as the machine cannot work on soft surfaces and water.