The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has increased its cleanup work at Juhu Beach after heavy rainfall and strong tides brought large amounts of marine waste back to the shore. More than 350 metric tonnes (MT) of garbage is being washed up on the beach every day.
According to the civic body, around 1,800 MT of marine waste have been collected and scientifically disposed of over the last ten days. At present, nearly 180 MT of garbage is being removed from the beach every day.
In early July, mumbai received more than 1,000 mm of rain during this period. The rain carried floating garbage from small drains and natural water channels into the Arabian Sea. Strong tides are now pushing the same waste back onto the coastline.
Now, the BMC's Solid Waste Management Department has deployed additional workers and machines at Juhu Beach. Under normal conditions, the cleanup operation includes two beach-cleaning machines, two bobcats, ten dumpers, one JCB and 150 sanitation workers. This team usually removes around 60 MT of waste every day.
Currently, the BMC has added one more beach-cleaning machine, two additional bobcats, five more dumpers, one extra JCB, two tractor-trolleys, two poclain excavators and 90 more sanitation workers working in two shifts. These additional resources have helped increase the daily waste removal capacity to around 180 MT.
The civic body has also appealed to residents and visitors not to throw garbage into drains or natural water channels. It has asked people to dispose of waste properly to prevent garbage from reaching the sea.
Meanwhile, the BMC has come under criticism from the Opposition. According to a report by the FPJ, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Leader of the Opposition Kishori Pednekar alleged that the city's sanitation work is poor. She said that garbage has piled up to nearly three feet high along parts of Mumbai's coastline and that debris removed from drains is not being cleared properly and is instead flowing into the sea.