A video has emerged on social media which shows the hardships endured by those living near the Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai. Life is a daily assault on the senses and the body; swarms of mosquitoes breed unchecked, the air is thick with the stench of decay; children cough through the night, elders struggle to breathe. Skin infections, respiratory diseases, and bacterial illnesses are a part of the everyday existence of these unfortunate souls.
The Maharashtra government has earmarked 124 acres within the active landfill site to relocate residents from Dharavi, which has been handed over on a platter to Adani for redevelopment. The industrialist shall easily mint upwards of Rs 50,000 crores from this project. The Deonar landfill contains over 20 lakh tonnes of legacy waste and emits ~6000 kilograms of methane every hour; it is the most toxic environment in Mumbai. To knowingly send thousands of families to a slow, suffocating death is not redevelopment; it is akin to Jews being sent into gas chambers during the Nazi era. Would the Maharashtra CM send his own children to live here even for a night? Redevelopment is supposed to improve people's quality of life, but this plan crushes them under the weight of toxic waste. The people of Dharavi deserve dignity, not disease; they are not garbage to be dumped along with Mumbai's waste. The conscience of a government is tested not by what it builds, but by whom it sacrifices.
