Clean-up crusader joins Clean Coasts campaign

Hindustan Times is partnering this massive effort to save Mumbai’s rivers and its waterfronts.

Lawyer and beach clean-up crusader Afroz Shah has joined operation Jallosh Clean Coasts – a city-wide network of like-minded groups striving to address the issue of domestic waste choking Mumbai’s coastal areas and rivers.

Lawyer and beach clean-up crusader Afroz Shah has joined operation Jallosh Clean Coasts(HTPhotos)

Led by non-profit group Project Mumbai, a three-day clean-up drive (June 1, 2 and 5) has been scheduled around World Environment Day (observed on June 5). The drive, which will be combined with educational awareness programs, will be held across nine beach fronts — Girgaon Chowpatty, Cuffe Parade, Worli, Dadar, Mahim, Bandra, Versova, Juhu, and Madh, four rivers – Mithi, Dahisar, Poisar, and Oshiwara, and four mangrove forests — Borivli creek, Versova, Carter Road in Bandra, and Charkop.

Hindustan Times is partnering this massive effort to save Mumbai’s rivers and its waterfronts.

Shah and his volunteers will be working across three locations on June 1 and 2. On June 1, around 200 volunteers will be engaged in removing plastic waste and educating local citizens about waste segregation and recycling at source at the Dana Pani beach in Malad. On June 2, close to 100 citizens will remove trash from Versova beach during a two-hour clean-up drive on Sunday morning, followed by 200 volunteers making their way to the Mithi River (Filter pada, Aarey Colony) for a similar cleanup drive and awareness program.

“Every initiative to protect marine species is welcome,” said Shah. “We are collaborating with Shishir Joshi and Project Mumbai’s Jallosh – Clean Coasts as they have a background in working towards environment conservation in Mumbai, and I congratulate them. I hope this effort also culminates into something positive where policymakers take notice of it.”

Shishir Joshi, founder and chief executive officer, Project Mumbai, said Jallosh – Clean Coasts had already become one of the largest citizen-led movements the city has ever witnessed.

“With 15 organisations and thousands of corporates and citizen groups, we are delighted to implement social transformation and change the way we view our beaches, rivers and other water bodies. This is just the beginning for us taking up such causes that impact people and lead to positive change,” he said.

Since October 2015, Shah took the lead from Versova and along with his volunteers began removing waste, mostly comprising plastic.

In November last year, Shah and his volunteers branched out to Dana Pani beach in Malad. The total quantum of trash removed from both beaches stands at 25 million kg so far. The group has also adopted a stretch of the Mithi River at Filter pada in Aarey Colony where 3.6 lakh kg of trash has been removed over the past 30 weeks.

Meanwhile, apart from citizen volunteers, several others have joined the network. Environment groups, several corporate firms, government agencies such as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), state mangrove cell, college, and school students and non-profits like the Girgaum Chowpatty Lifeguard Association have joined the initiative and will be leading the clean-up drive at Girgaum Chowpatty in June. Other groups like the Earth Day Network and United Way of Mumbai will be supporting river and mangrove clean-up efforts.

EDUCATIONAL
ACTIVITIES

The campaign will also focus on educational activities for children, especially along Mahim and Juhu beaches. While registrations for environment groups and volunteers are closed, registrations for children’s’ activities are open till next Saturday (May 25). Participants need to log on to - www.projectmumbai.org - and fill in the required details.