A 45-year-old woman from Mumbai lost her life after falling into an open stormwater drain during heavy rainfall on Wednesday. The woman, Vimal Anil Gaikwad, lived with her family in a chawl in Powai. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has initiated a high-level investigation into her death.
Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani set up a committee to conduct the probe. The panel has to submit its report in three days.
“The stormwater drain was flowing below the road surface and due to the rain, the entire road was inundated, and quite naturally the force of water was very high. That’s why the victim got washed away, immediately after falling into the drain,” said an official.
Heavy rainfall disrupted life in the financial capital yesterday, flooding rail tracks and roads, bringing traffic to a halt. At least 14 inbound flights had to be diverted due to the severe weather conditions.
Gaikwad was returning home to Milind Nagar, Powai, from her office in Andheri MIDC on Wednesday evening when she fell into the drain while crossing the road to board a bus. The incident occurred at around 9.20 pm, and her body was recovered by the Mumbai Fire Brigade at 11.27 pm from the Veravali Reservoir outlet, more than 100 metres from the scene. She was rushed to Cooper Hospital, where she was declared dead.
“Since it was raining heavily yesterday (Wednesday), we had been trying to contact her since evening. However, her phone remained unreachable. We were under the assumption that she must be working overtime, and would be home by 9 pm at the most,” said Gaikwad’s niece and neighbour, Sangeeta Shivsaran, to the Indian Express.
“However, we were really worried, considering we couldn’t contact her even after 9 pm. Around 11.30 pm, we got a call from the police station, following which we came to know about the incident,” she added.
Gaikwad, the sole breadwinner of her family, worked as a security guard in a diamond factory in MIDC. Her husband is specially abled and stays at home.
“I am a sick man, my wife used to take care of my house. We have lost everything, I want that whoever is at fault should be punished,” he said.
At least seven people have died in separate manhole-related incidents in Mumbai this year. These tragic deaths have raised concern about the increasing theft of manhole covers. In 2023 alone, Mumbai reported 791 cases of stolen manhole covers.
