Govt agency to join Versova beach clean-up

MUMBAI : As the citizens’ campaign to clean Versova beach nears its 50th week, a government agency said it will join the programme.

MUMBAI : As the citizens’ campaign to clean Versova beach nears its 50th week, a government agency said it will join the programme.

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The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) will join the Versova Residents Volunteers (VRV) to commemorate International Coastal Cleanup Day which is on September 17.

The move comes two weeks after United Nations representatives, including UN Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh, joined the clean-up and collected 6.16 lakh kg of garbage from the northern end of the beach on August 5 and 6.

Officials from MMB told HT that the cleaning drive would cover beaches across the state but will focus on Versova.

“There is an acute garbage crisis at the northern end of Versova, Juhu and beaches towards Madh, Marve where trash is deposited by the sea,” said a senior official from MMB.

The official added that the cleaning will continue every week from September onwards. “The initiative would be a curtain raiser for the Nirmal Sagar Tat Abhiyaan – a coastal protection and management program — that received the chief minister’s nod in May. We will kickstart the program on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2,” said the official.

He added that the focus is to ensure cleanliness and proper solid waste management so that garbage is properly disposed off and not dumped into roads and drains from where it is carried to the sea.

On Saturday, 40 residents and 20 municipal workers cleared 48,000 kg of trash from the northern end of Versova beach. After Saturday’s clean-up, the quantity of garbage removed by the group over the last 45 weeks has reached 2.8 million kg.

VRV members said they will be meeting MMB officials on Monday to discuss measures to be taken for the joint clean-up programme. “With MMB on board, the idea is to go directly to the source of the problem and collect trash before it leaves the creek,” said Afroz Shah, founder, VRV. “With the state government’s support, we can eradicate the problem efficiently and much faster.”