When you tell someone you are from Dombivli, you can only count seconds before the non-Dombivlikar(s) start bombarding you with local train jokes or village jokes. These may or may not be an exaggeration but Dombivli is so much more than that. For the ones who joke and are unaware, Dombivli is the city with the highest literacy rate in the state.
The city is also a colourful and vibrant one to such an extent that the roads have changed their colour overnight. The Dombivlikars have complained of rains of vivid colours. Here are some instances of the great land of Dombivli that establish the fact the events here are so weird, nothing is weird anymore:
Waking up to a green surrounding is a privilege, not many citizens have. However, the citizens of Dombivli enjoy a fair amount lush landscape and adding to the greenery, on the historic date of January 21, 2014, Dombivlikars were welcomed by green rains.
At around 7:00-7:30 am, people going for walk might have carried sweaters to deal with the chilly atmosphere. But little did they know that they were about to witness an instance that happens once in a lifetime.
Citizens from the city complained that they felt as if a green carpet was laid on the roads. The air smelled of chemicals and some residents even found green water on their terraces. When confronted, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) officials came the next day and took samples of water, soil, trees, etc.
It was found that due to some mistake in the dyeing process in the dyeing mills of the area, the chemical particles had evaporated through chimney. According to them, it was these chemicals that mixed with the rain water and led to green rain.
Just as the Dombivlikars recovered from the 'green rain' incident, a five-year reminder came for them on September 8, 2019. Owing to air pollution, Dombivali residents witnessed 'orange-coloured' rainfall. And that's not all. The residents later found out that the rainfall consisted of oil!
A layer of black powder also had accumulated in household pots and pans. The locals once again voiced their concerns over the increase in emission of gas and chemicals from the chemical units which got mixed with rainwater.
Anxious residents then collected samples of orange rainwater to bring it to the notice of the pollution control board.
The month of love, February turned out quite eventful for the poor Dombivli residents. The passers-by last month observed that the roads in Dombivli MIDC Phase 1 had turned red/pink. One can only debate whether it was a symbol of love. But the roads were found to have been affected due to the chemical powders released by the Industries in the MIDC area.
The matter grabbed eyeballs, with social media playing the part of spreading the word. Eventually, the state government and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray sought a report from the MPCB. The locals had been complaining about the foul smell and gases that they said were choking them.
In the end, one can only empathise with the Dombivlikars who belong to the land of miracles. The issue of pollution has been a companion for Dombivli residents but these instances don't surprise them anymore. What can surprise them though is an empty seat in 8:05 Kasara-CSMT Fast local where thousands of passengers hang for their life just to make it to their destination, on time.