Right To Water mumbai

Advocacy Campaign, Short Film, Photojournalism

From Pani Haq Samiti, a collective of civil society organizations, people’s movements and individuals striving to secure universal and equitable access to water for all; I learnt about the shocking fact that roughly 2 million people in Mumbai are denied access to safe and affordable drinking water. After visiting several informal settlements in the city, I observed that people were acclimated to the daily burden of collecting water from different sources- leakages, tankers, wells, illegal connections, public toilets, other building premises etc.

Since 2019 I have contributed to the campaign of Pani Haq Samiti by media awareness, partnerships, research and more.

Photo Essay: m.thewire.in/article_pdf/urban/mumbai-water-supply-photos

Pipe Dream is a film about Jai Mati, a resident of an informal settlement in Mumbai, and his work navigating the complex process of applying for a water connection with the city authority. Home to nearly 1000 people, Siddharth Nagar does not have access to the city’s official water. Residents buy water from shops, transport containers from employers’ houses, and hire private water tankers to fulfil their water needs. Owing to the overwhelming and intimidating nature of the process, many residents have accepted this reality and hold no hope for a legal water connection which in many ways is tied to ideas of citizenship, belonging, and legality. Since 2015, Jai Mati has painstakingly collected documentation, met with authorities, dealt with internal politics, educated himself and other residents on the constitutional remedies and dedicated himself to the goal of obtaining legal water.

A film by Suraj Katra, Jai Mati, Prachi Adesara and Sitaram Shelar. Mentor Avijit Mukul Kishore

Festivals, Awards, Screenings:

Jury Prize Charles Correa Foundation, International Documentary & Short Film Festival of Kerala, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, St+Art India Mumbai Urban Art Project, Voices from the Waters International Film Festival, Artshila, Harkat Studios.

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