Mumbai: The water bearers of narrow lanes

Alam says this year, while the temperatures have been rising, the demand for water has not increased yet. “There are many who prefer water delivered through tempos and water tankers as it proves cheaper, ordered in bulk. We are called if there is a small demand for a small quantity of water, such as of someone does not manage to fill their water tankers during the morning water supply hours or if there is a family function,” Alam says. He lugs a 25-litre pouch in a 2-km area multiple times in a day at a price between Rs 15-25 per trip.

“The cost depends on the distance and the floors we have to climb to deliver the water,” he explains. Alam was a teenager when he first came to the city, fleeing home in Bihar to look for a job. The 46-year old says that at the time, over three decades ago, a majority of men from Rajasthan worked as mashaq wallahs. “I was employed by one of them and learnt the work from him. The mashaqs have handles to help carry them on the shoulder, but they are very heavy. It is tiring,” he says. Now, Alam and Nasir, who came to the city together, work on their own, having bought mashaqs. Each mashaq costs Rs 2,500 and lasts for over six months. To prevent them from tearing apart due to the weight, the mashaqs have to be maintained by applying mustard oil every few weeks.

While earlier, the men who made the mashaqs had their shops in the same area, they have shifted out to the suburbs. “Earlier, the men were traditional mashaq wallahs, working for generations together. Now, it is usually youngsters who do this work till they find another job,” says Mohammed Ashraf, another mashaq wallah. “The job does not pay much for the effort it requires. Each person who is employed here tries to find work as a loader or a labourer to get out of this profession,” he says.

Alam says he tried to get another job but failed, and has hence continued for so many years as a mashaq wallah. He sleeps on empty carts in the market area after finishing work at 8pm, waking up at 5am the next day. Apart from resting for about half an hour in the afternoon, his day consists of many trips carrying the heavy water-bag. “After having worked so many years, I know each and every building and lane. Each day, the hope is to at least get enough demand to cover the cost of the water we buy,” he says.

None of them think the business would end anytime soon, since congested, old areas like these would require water delivered to them due to lack of supply. “Many prefer to call us instead of big water tankers since their requirement is less. We will not go out of business, but some days are particularly bad, when we only make a few trips,” Alam says.