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Childhood and future of India down the drain? Not if experts can help it ,by mobilising community participation in searching for  solutions

A child , all of eighteen months, goes down the drain and disappears during the ongoing monsoon and subsequent floods in Mumbai . It is not only one child but many who suffer , not on just a particular day but every monsoon, throughout the monsoon ; not just affected by floods on the day but also days after the floods;  due to leptospirosis , dengue and other diseases which follow the rains 

 What policy changes are necessary  , what community  action is essential and  who are the stakeholders  involved who need to act for this vulnerable age group to be better cared for, across all economic strata , since this is the age group which is our country’s future ?

 Early Childhood Association President Dr Swati Popat speaks to us about important issues this event brings to the forefront about early childhood care.

“ Mumbai floods” is now a buzz word in Mumbai but it is a  regular affair. Deaths have been so many that most of us are probably now numbed . 268 events of flooding were reported between 1995 and 2015 and it has affected 825 million people and left 17 million homeless  and has killed 69,000 people all over India .Greater Mumbai has a population of 12 million as per census 2011 figures and the most vulnerable are slum dwellers who comprise 41 % of the city’s household. The world bank policy research paper number 7481 examines the vulnerability of the poor in Mumbai with respect to their displacement during floods. Floods affect not just the poor but also the affluent . Brain drain is something that many hear of but the best of brains Dr Amrapurkar dying by drowning in a drain shocked Mumbai a couple of years ago.Many efforts were made to make sure  such an event doesn’t occur .  Yet just two days ago yet another child was lost as the child slipped down an open drain as seen on a cctv footage of an adjoining mosque .

The following picture from India Today speaks volumes about toddlers in rains and floods 

The drains are wide open like shown in the accompanying picture 

And when it rains children are walking along the flooded roads not knowing where the drains location is 

( Picture : School going children looking for manholes ) 

The flood water enters everywhere , even in homes 

Sushmita ( name changes on request )  is a home help whose husband is a jobless alcoholic , who has abandoned her and she makes a living as a cook in the high rise buildings next to her dwelling in the slums . She cooks at five households earning three thousand rupees from each household , that is an income of fifteen thousand rupees a month with which she keeps her life afloat. When the rains came this year her life drowned , like every year , year after year. 

“ The water came rushing in , drowning everything .I do not have a life at all and I live only for my children and it hurts very much, when they were really affected. All the clothes  got wet, children’s  school uniforms , books , everything got wet .They still went to school since the school had not declared a holiday .Till they come back home I am really worried , ever since the news of the child drowning cake out, we all are extremely worried” said Sushmita . “ I am most worried about the toddlers my relatives  leave behind in a play school or with neighbour when they go to work “

She has a good idea of why these issues plague the area,  because  she is a little more informed ,due to the conversations she has, during her work at an educated household . She takes us to a nullah which is overflowing . She points to an area where the drain is blocked. We see  numerous plastic bags blocking the drain . The sewage is overflowing. The water supply and sewage lines are overlapping and the sewage contaminates the water supply line . “ When the water flows and the children wade through these waters , they come back home and have a fever three to six days later . Three children in our locality were identified with fever” said Sushmita.

After the rains , one can see dead rats along the pavements and roads. 

Picture : Dead rats along the pavement near the manholes 

These rats cause Leptospirosis 

According to the National Health Portal of India, leptospirosis is one of the world’s most widespread disease  transmitted by animals to humans.In 2014-15, 179 cases were reported and  seven people died across the state of Maharashtra of which Mumbai is a part. In 2016, 367 were people infected and 13 had died. In 2017, the cases increased to 398 with 18 succumbing  to the disease.Mumbai has recorded the highest number of cases, with 218 of the 309 cases recorded in 2018 coming from Mumbai.To address the rising burden of the disease the Government of India in started  a Pilot project on Prevention and Control of Leptospirosis as a “New Initiative” under XI Five Year Plan.” Radio spots and Radio Jingle under Programme for prevention and control of Leptospirosis (PPCL) were  prepared. Although the programme is still in its nascent stage , it has been able to sensitize the state Governments about the significant public health impact of the disease. The surveillance of the disease has been strengthened and cases and outbreak are regularly reported through IDSP portal.” says the program website . A recent meeting was held on June 13 th . But would it fair to expect only the government to act . 

The Center  for Disease Control and Prevention , USA on its website explains that  leptospirosis cases are seen more often when there are floods ( https://www.cdc.gov/leptospirosis/exposure/hurricanes-leptospirosis.html) A large increase in the number of patients seen with leptospirosis was reported from days 7 to 12 following a deluge in Mumbai. In 2005 at one of the hospitals 432 patients were diagnosed with leptospirosis (  Maskey M, Shastri JS, Saraswathi K, Surpam R, Vaidya N. Leptospirosis in Mumbai: Post-deluge outbreak 2005. Indian J Med Microbiol 2006;24:337-8.) .

So prevention of wading should be a first step

The next step would be treating the ones who waded in rain water , literally wading inti trouble.

A community prophylaxis program prevented Leptospirosis. “ There were reduced number of cases of leptospirosis due to community chemoprophylaxis with 432 confirmed cases in 2005 v. 128 [59 confirmed] in 2017 “ reported the research paper ( Supe A, Khetarpal M, Naik S, Keskar P. Leptospirosis following heavy rains in 2017 in Mumbai: Report of large-scale community chemoprophylaxis. Natl Med J India 2018;31:19-21)

“I saw my employer’s children being given some medicines when they came back home after wading in the water . Our children in the slums did not any medicines which many of the children in the houses where I work received  “ said Sushmita when we asked her if any prophylaxis was given to the children in the area of the slums. The government has a policy under which free Leptospirosis prophylaxis is given to anyone who waded through flood water. There are print articles in prominent dailies. But Sushmita who doesn’t read them is not aware of these facts. 

There are so many issues . Who has the solution ? Is it all the responsibility  of governments? What can be done in the community ? How can private professionals make a difference ?. What role do schools play? . How can school teachers and doctors guide government policy and how can they generate public opinion , which can further guide policy, through inputs of various stakeholders? .

Dr Swati Popat is a pre school director and an advocate for  the extremely young students education , and she is the one who represented India at eye annual conference of World forum in early care and education in Macao , China where  over 80 countries had sent their representives ; all of them gathering to network and discuss challenges and innovations in early childhood development and safety .

(Picture : Dr Swati Popat at the United Nations Global Goals day for pre schoolers which she organises at Mumbai every year )

Disasters like floods need a different policy at government level, especially when school children may be stuck during floods in schools . On this issue Dr Popat said “We need to change the summer holidays in India to suit the climate of the state/city! Mumbai should be closed in June and July as June is extremely hot and July is extremely wet. Government can come out with standard operating procedures for disaster management but the schools will ultimately implement it, so it is better if parents and schools work together for the safety and security of young children and work out solutions to prevent and take care in the aftermath. Where preschool children are concerned, sadly our government departments are still figuring out, who will take care of the early years!!!We have a School Development Committee for this reason, this committee has representatives from each class and they meet with the head of the school regularly and recommend, advice etc.” That is the democratic structure for welfare of pre school children with involvement of all stakeholders.

Dr Swati Popat said “ In a family we first ensure that our youngest children are taken care of and safe, whereas in government policies and budget we ignore them, literally!Pre-schoolers are ‘nobody’s child’ ! Human Resource department HRD feels they come under WCD (women and child development ministry), WCD ministry struggles with women and child problems and is either able to cater to health or nutrition, so education goes for a toss. Urban planning ministry chooses to ignore that extremely small children also live in a city. And the lesser said about the Municipalities of every city!! These young pre-schoolers who are growing up in our city today, what are they learning when they see the city flooded, drains open, people dying? They learn to become immune to this and tolerate it because that is what they see their parents do! We need to take our children more seriously , they are our human resource, and they are the ones who will take care of our cities and country. If we give them polluted rivers, choking drains, substandard infrastructure then they will not know quality and will never uphold it. We cannot ask them to save the world when we give them a world that is already destroyed.We need the government to understand that children maybe 20% of our population presently but they are going to be 100% our future, invert the pyramid, invest in early years, in their health, hygiene, education and you will  need lesser investments when they grow older.”

A quick response and declaration of holidays saved the lives of many children in Mumbai .But sometimes the whole city may not be involved and a section of the road in front of schools may be afeected and that is when the schools have act in time .

Dr Swati Popat , President of the Early Childhood Association of India said “It is important that’s we  take a quick call whether to keep the school closed, and then we inform the parents accordingly . Sometimes the rain gods play a trick and it is bright and sunshine in the morning and suddenly torrential rains, then we keep the school closed for second shift,  for parents of young toddlers and children not to leave their children unattended during the rains, especially in a city that is close to the sea or prone to frequent flooding. Sadly our urban planning ministry and municipalities never think of children (or the disabled) when planning cities or investing in infrastructure. Due to this the entire responsibility of the safety of children falls on parents and schools. I would advice parents to hold the hand of their child while walking in the floods and to keep a long stick or an umbrella and keep tapping the area in front of you so that you come to know if there is a pothole, manhole open etc. Teach this to the attendant that takes care of your child too. Also umbrellas are useless in rains like Mumbai, raincoats are the best for children and parents who are walking with children because it frees you from worrying about holding the umbrella, getting wet, holding the child and looking for potholes!”

Early childhood pre school children are easily prone to infections which are common when children wade in waters .Regarding this issue of infectious diseases post monsoon, Dr Swati Popat said “Health and hygiene are the most important aspects of early childhood education. Sadly parents today do not give enough importance to health and hygiene and that is why we regularly release these posters to warn and educate parents about what they can do for their little ones. Children may be small but that does not mean that they are not susceptible to all illness and health issues that ail adults. We also want parents to understand that precaution is better than cure and hence release these advisories often on all subjects like Hand Foot Mouth Disease ( HFMD), Dengue, Malaria, etc.”

Routine health education programs help parents know what to expect and what to do and what not to.

( Picture : The health education pictures that the school puts up on social media and as posters at prominent places where parents can see them as they wait at school to take their kids home  )

If schools are proactive and declare holidays , potential drowning events and wading in flood water events can be prevented . Speaking about the use of technology as a policy while declaring holidays before the situation turns dangerous Dr Swati Popat said “We use whatsapp, Facebook, between us portal on the school website”.

So what are the causes of flooding ? 

Following the deluge and floods and massive death of over one thousand people in the 2005 floods of Mumbai , the concerned citizens group gave its report available on India Environment portal . This is the link http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/Mumbai-Marooned.pdf Following this the civic body did some wonderful ground work and made excellent laws but yet the situation seems worse .

 The main causes for flooding are tidal variations , flat gradients and mud flats with many reclaimed areas vulnerable to floods . Other contributory factors are unsanitary methods OT solid waste and sewage disposal and problems with drainage syste  (Sherbinin, A., Schiller, A., Pulsipher, A. (2007). The Vulnerability of Global Cities to Climate Hazards. Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 19(1). International Institute for Environment and Development. Sage Publications.)  Manmade factors like  inappropriate levels of outfalls, loss of holding ponds due to land development, increase in the run‐off coefficient, encroachments on drains and obstructions due to crossing utility lines are well known (MCGM (2014a). Greater Mumbai City Development Plan 2005 to 2025. Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.http://www.mcgm.gov.in/irj/portal/anonymous?NavigationTarget=navurl://095e1c7b9486b1423b881dce8b106978)

This shows that part of the problem lies within the communities and the practices within the communities . Changing this needs community participation . Community participation cannot be elicited without awareness campaigns of a larger scale . 

Schools organise events like UN Global days ,events which create awareness of such issues . On this Dr Swati Popat said “advocacy is the best tool to create awareness in adults and pester power is something that we use to ensure that parents listen! When we teach children about eco friendly festivals or reduce, reuse and recycle or harmful effects of plastic, we are creating powerful crusaders who will not only go and tell their parents about the message but will pester the parents till the parents change! Children have that power and through our UN goals day celebration we are ensuring that the goals are not only on paper but become a part of a child’s every day life and living. This is true life skills education or experiential education.” Through such events they also educate community through indirect education of the parents . So the involvement of various stakeholders including parents , teachers , doctors through parents and teachers all is essential 

The issues which need urgent action are as following 

a) Mangrove destruction :30 percent of mangroves along the river Mithi and Mahim Creek have been destroyed between 1995 to 2005 . Mangroves are natural barriers against flooding . Satellite maps of Mumbai comparing mangroves in 1998 vs 2017 shows this destruction .( https://qz.com/india/1065455/satellite-photos-reveal-how-mumbai-killed-its-rivers-and-mangrove-forests-to-risk-epic-floods/)   The mangroves are used for building construction . Rampant construction with total disregard to law has occurred . This needs to be checked .

The example of a village near where the child just died down a drain. The village ( gaon ) is called Charkop . Here are two pictures comparing the village charkopgaon in 2004 and 2018 which shows the massive loss of mangroves 

Milind Deora  a former Minister of State (MoS) with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and also a former MoS with the Ministry of Shipping within the Government of India who is now in opposition party , tweeted in support of mangroves 

b) Sewers and industrial waste from Construction buildings force tremendous waste into Mithi River . The drainage system is old and for buildings which were four storey and housing four families per storey and are now catering to reconstructed buildings with 8 to 11 floors and each floor having four families each on an average consisting of four people . The drainage systems made for 64 people in one building now  carry domestic waste and sewage from  128 to 178 per building and are obviously going to overflow . This is further damaging the fragile ecosystems around Mumbai .

“Mumbai’s drains have the capacity to carry only 25 mm water per hour, and siphons and other utility services create numerous obstructions in the larger drains” , a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) recently tabled in the state parliament . 

c) Plastic usage by people : This causes blockage of drain pipes and sewers . The Bombay Municipal Corporation did good by banning plastics since it clogs drains and contributes to flooding . But the issue remains becuase slum dwellers continue to use plastic , since it doesn’t address behavioural change in public . https://hwww.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-mumbai-plastic-ban-goes-down-nthe-drain-bmc-blames-it-on-slum-dwellers-2754420.  

d) Food waste and other waste dumped into river and sewer : According to a report in  USA , Smithfield Foods  was fined $ 12.6 million for dumping hog waste into river tributory of Cheasapeake Bay Area in virginia , USA . In Pattaya , Thailand food vendors were fined 1000 baht each for dumping food waste into sewer system . This waste can be used to generate electricity and biogas instead of choking drains and causing flood . The decision to penalise ( https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbaiites-to-be-penalised-for-dumping-trash-in-nullahs-near-railway-tracks/story-zFHHK32NbLs2ijAa8Rb72M.html)  those dumping waste in nullas has been welcomed by experts  but the fine is too small at Rs 1250 to act as a deterrent . The fine against firms has also been welcomed  (https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/case-filed-against-mumbai-firm-owner-for-dumping-debris-causing-flooding-1560041-2019-07-01) if they dump thrash . But just levying fines on  them may not be a final solution because they will find other ways to stealthily dump somewhere else . Sending a person to jail is also does not solve the problem but making the offenders do community service may help feel experts . 

Even the larger picture also should not be missed , that  of climate change . From 1995 to 2015 a three fold rise in extreme rain events have been seen in Mumbai ( Reference : Roxy , MK et al A three fold increase in widespread extreme rain events over central India . Nature  Communcations 8 (2017 ) . All this will require behavioural cat a national level, 

The Swatchh  Bharat ( Clean India )  campaign  has been successful in eliminating open defecation in Mumbai and a similar large behavioural change campaign is needed. Who will do it ? Shouldn’t all stake holders do their bit ? 

Dr Swati Popat and her schools as well as the chain of schools attached to the Early Childhood Association she heads have made a huge contribution in this area.

The preschools and schools organised program, the United Nations Global Goals day is an event where every year  the students make projects which address  these climate , plastic and water issues and the parental involvment makes  sure community awareness improves 

Considering the vast network of schools that Dr Swati Popat and Dr Vandana Lulla work with , the effort should work indeed . 

The future is not so bleak but action is necessary right away . One child went down the drain , but India’s children in Mumbai and their futures will not go down the drain. It is the citizens who should be doing their bit to ensure that besides the civic authorities and government .The private players in addition to the government are doing their bit . What have we done ? That’s the question all of us need to answer .