2.8 lakh kg of garbage cleared in 5 hours from Versova beach

MUMBAI: Intending to make Versova beach free from litter, hundreds of Mumbaiites removed 2,84,000 kg of trash from the jetty area, located on the northern end, on

MUMBAI: Intending to make Versova beach free from litter, hundreds of Mumbaiites removed 2,84,000 kg of trash from the jetty area, located on the northern end, on Saturday..

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Representatives from the United Nations (UN), including the United Nations Environment Programme-appointed ‘Patron of the Oceans’, Lewis Pugh, who arrived in Mumbai on Friday, joined the Versova Residents Volunteers (VRV) in the five-hour drive. They were joined by students from the Whistling Woods International Film and Television Institute, lawyers from the Andheri Bar Association, members of the Koli Samaj (local fishing community) and representatives of the All India Plastic Manufacturers Association.The trash was taken to the Deonar dump.

Versova is a flat, sandy 2.5-km beach with a thick mangrove cover across several parts and garbage gets trapped in the mangroves during high tide. In the 43rd weekend of the beach cleaning drive, the citizen groups have collected almost two lakh kg of trash. “We had almost 500 people on Saturday and it is clear the drive is gaining momentum,” said Afroz Shah, lawyer and founder, VRV. “Now, this model needs to be replicated by citizens with support from the civic body at all beaches across Mumbai.”

Pugh, a maritime lawyer and campaigner for clean oceans, said the scale of the drive was massive but with citizens’ support they could do a lot of work. “Every inch of the beach was covered in litter when we began. We picked up 673 shoes within a radius of just 10 metres. Everyone came together to protect our environment and make history,” he said.

“Plastic collected at beaches is dangerous for the marine ecosystem and humans living close by,” said Anil C Singh, additional solicitor-general of India (Western Zone) who attended the drive. “Awareness among the masses will prompt authorities to make stricter norms to control pollution.” BMC officials said departments of the BMC were working together to resolve the garbage problem in Malad creek. “During the rains, the quantum of garbage is more. As a remedial measure, 35 workers each at Juhu and Versova have been cleaning up during weekdays,” said Parag Masurkar, ward officer.

After the beach clean-up, members of VRV set out in boats towards the Malad creek and collected around 1000kg of trash comprising floating plastic bags and food wrappers.