Asia’s biggest slum “Dharavi” crossed the mark of 100 corona virus cases; panic surfaced in Mumbai

MUMBAI: The number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai’s Dharavi, Asia’s biggest slum has reached 101 on Friday with 15 new patients being detected, said an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC).

Of the 15 cases, four were reported from Matunga Labour camp area of Dharavi, according to Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner in charge of the G/North Ward in Central Mumbai. That includes a 62-year-old man who was declared dead at the Sion Hospital.

Three fresh cases each were recorded from Muslim Nagar and Indira Nagar, two from Social Nagar and one each from Laxmi Chawl, Janta Society and Survoday Society. Investigation for high risk contacts is under progress, Dighavkar said.

Among the latest to test positive for Covid-19 are three women aged between 24 and 72 years and 12 men between 19 and 65 years.

So far, 10 people have died because of complications related to the novel coronavirus in Dharavi, a sprawl of shanties spread over 240 hectares with a population of 8.5 lakh and over 20,000 small businesses, making social distancing extremely difficult. The sanitation in this slum is a tricky business altogether.