Juhu beach patch being used as garbage dumping and collection spot

At the southern end of Juhu Beach, away from the upscale hotels and residences, lies a spot where civic authorities dump all the garbage collected from the entire six-kilometre beach

Mumbai: If Mumbaikars dumping garbage on the city’s beaches wasn’t enough, the residents of Juhu Koliwada have been dealing with a different type of culprit.

At the southern end of Juhu Beach, away from the upscale hotels and residences, lies a spot where civic authorities dump all the garbage collected from the entire six-kilometre beach. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

At the southern end of Juhu Beach, away from the upscale hotels and residences, lies a spot where civic authorities dump all the garbage collected from the entire six-kilometre beach. While civic officials claim the garbage is collected twice a day and taken away, it raises enough of a stink, apart from being an eyesore for regular visitors and residents of Juhu Koliwada.

“That spot always has garbage and a stink around it,” said Datta Gowde, a resident of Juhu Koliwada, during his regular evening walk on the beach.

On Monday, HT witnessed dumpers with garbage collected from the entire beach arrive and deposit their loads at the spot. Soon, the pile of trash was swarming with dogs, crows, eagles, and waste pickers, just a few feet away from where people were playing cricket. “We have to go around it to get to the cleaner side of the beach,” said Gowde.

This has been happening for at least three years, according to residents, who said that complaints to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have not changed anything.

“On Saturday, along with the garbage, a truck with construction and demolition debris to the beach and dumped it at the same spot,” said Nicky D’Souza, a Juhu Koliwada resident and activist. “When I checked, lo and behold, it was a disaster dumper from the BMC’s K West ward.”

D’Souza and other residents called the BMC’s disaster management helpline on Saturday to lodge a complaint about the matter. The local community group Juhu Buzz posted a video of the garbage dumping on X. When the dumping occurred again the next day, they repeated the complaints.

Finally, on Monday, the BMC responded with photos of the spot after it had been cleaned up, noting the complaint had been attended to. However, by evening, tractors had resumed the waste dumping.

“As we clean the beach, we need a spot where we can dump the garbage so it can be collected by dumpers. It is not a dumping spot, but a collection spot,” said an officer from the BMC’s K West ward’s solid waste management (SWM) department, requesting anonymity. “This spot is at a remote part of the beach, as we can’t dump it near the hotels and bungalows as those residents object. But we ensure that two dumpers arrive in the morning and two in the evening to pick up the garbage that builds up, otherwise a mountain of waste would build up there.”

A team of 60 workers trawl Juhu Beach every day, picking up trash thrown by visitors and the sea, said the officer. The trash is put into a tractor-dumper trolley, which then delivers it to the spot near Juhu Koliwada. A dumper then arrives to pick up the garbage. The BMC collects 50-60 metric tonnes of waste on average per day, added the officer.

When asked about the debris dumping, the officer claimed it was a one-time incident. “There was an emergency demolition of some encroachments. Hence, the truck dumped the debris and mixed waste there on Saturday for it to be collected.”

However, D’Souza, Gowde, and other residents objected to this justification. “Previously, there would be two compactors at other parts of the beach, too, which would hold the garbage before it was collected. But because those residents complained, it was shifted to our side. The garbage trucks do come to collect the garbage, but only in the morning, leaving it to fester overnight,” said Gowde.

D’Souza questioned why this patch of the beach was chosen for the dumping. “Is this not a part of the beach? People are playing here, and the garbage comes right in the way of people walking onto the beach from the Koliwada and Khar Danda. When it is high tide, the water takes up more beach space, leaving people with little space to play, and this patch is blocked because of the trash. It’s not like this is the very end of the beach, either. And during the monsoons, the garbage creates a bigger mess and a stink.”

Residents and activists asked the BMC to come up with a better system to collect the garbage. “What’s stopping the BMC from placing two garbage cans there that can contain the trash? Why don’t they use the plot of the sewage treatment plant some meters ahead for the garbage?” said Shaunak Modi, a Mumbai-based researcher of marine biodiversity.

In response, the BMC officer said the civic body would be getting compactors that can store the garbage in enclosed containers in the next three months. “But when the garbage quantity is more than the amount that can be accommodated, it will have to be dumped before it can be collected,” they said.

The wider issue, according to Modi, is how the BMC is treating the habitat “just because it’s on a part of the beach which isn’t frequented by tourists or those worth impressing”.

“The koli village is right there by the dump, where the fishermen park their boats and belongings. Right now, when the BMC comes to collect the garbage they collect beach sand along with it. That’s caused a pit at the spot. Cars and tempos have also begun parking along the spot,” added Modi.