Cases double in Mahim, Dadar in past 2 months

TALLY AT 4,680 Civic officials say Dharavi model being used to flatten curve

MUMBAI:WHILE the Covid-19 curve has started to flatten in Dharavi, India’s largest slum cluster, the number of Covid-19 cases have doubled in neighbouring Mahim and Dadar areas in the past 40 to 60 days. Out of the total 4,680 positive cases in Dadar and Mahim, more than 70% have been reported after relaxations in lockdown, starting June 3.

Owing to this, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) says it’s tracing and testing “maximum people behind every case from Dadar and Mahim area, on the lines of Dharavi.” For the past few days, Covid-19 cases in Dharavi are being reported in single digits daily, with a few exceptions.

The BMC has maintained that while the cases are coming down, four most densely populated pockets inside Dharavi – the Matunga Labour Camp, Kumbharwada, Kala Killa, and Koliwada continue to be on its watchlist. The BMC, starting September 1, is also going to scale down Covid-19 containment facilities in Dharavi owing to the flattening of the curve.

However, its neighbouring areas like Dadar and Mahim, now, remain a concern for the BMC. Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner of BMC’S G North Ward, said, “There are many factors behind cases increasing in Dadar and Mahim, and we are following the Dharavi model of testing and tracing maximum residents from Dadar and Mahim. We have also set up free testing camps, due to which we are detecting maximum cases. We have to understand that Dadar traditionally has been a commercial hub too, and post June 3, we have seen an increase in reporting of cases.”

Dighavkar added, “Maximum cases that we are detecting are of those who are asymptomatic and most are from high-rises. We have to wait and watch for now and continue testing and tracing the maximum number of people.”

Dadar also came into focus last week when a large number of residents had gathered in the local market ahead of Ganeshotsav by flouting social distancing norms.

In terms of numbers, on June 3, the first day of relaxations given by the state under Mission Begin Again, Dharavi had 1,889 cases that have increased to 2,753, on Saturday after recording eight new cases. Of these 2,400 patients have been discharged after recovery. In the case of Dadar, the cases went up from 374 to 2,489 in the same period and in Mahim, Covid cases have reached 2,192 from 606 on June 3.

The number of cases have doubled in Dadar in the past 45 days from 1,130 on July 11 to 2,489 now. Similarly, in Mahim, cases have reached 2,192 from 1,092 on June 28. The G North Ward, under which Dharavi, Dadar and Mahim fall, has a total of 7,426 cases as of Friday, of which, 6,208 cases have recovered and 787 cases are active. Maximum active cases are from Dadar (400) and Mahim (294) while Dharavi (93) has the lowest active cases.

Shiv Sena corporator from Dadar, Vishakha Raut said, “We