Live from Mumbai: Asswatch Mumbai (Episode 4)

Photo Story explaining Mumbai city’s dire condition

Mehak Mathur,Mumbai, 23rd February 2023 (originally reported)

The financial capital of India, Mumbai city, generates approximately 11,000 tonnes of solid waste every day. In 2014, the central government’s vision to build a Swatch Bharat encouraged people to live in a clean environment. Certainly, a clean environment can facilitate healthier living and growth. However, on a grass root level the ambitious policy has fallen short on its goals. 

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation announced its budget for the financial year 2023-24 on 4th February 2023. With the total budget estimated to be Rs 52,000 crore, a whopping sum little over Rs 4,500 crores was allocated to Solid Waste Management. This was reported to be 250 per cent more funds to the department than the sum allocated in the previous budget (2022-23). 

In its vision 2030, BMC has announced plans to reduce 30 percent of the city's daily waste generation. Moreover, with the success of pilot projects in separate dry and wet waste collection units in Khar and Worli, BMC now plans to follow the exercise in the remaining wards. The corporation also plans to hire electronic rickshaws to help them collect waste from societies and hotel chains. 

A large portion of the waste collection is from slums. A large chunk of this waste is thrown into the nallas and the rivers, thereby polluting the beaches and the entire water’s ecosystem.

Conditions of K/E ward 

Enroute to IIT Bombay and Powai, and several industrial areas located close to the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link road, visitors are stunned by the conditions of the slum dwellers. Surrounded by towering builder apartments, the residents of Anand Nagar, Shyam Nagar, and Durga Nagar have heaps of garbage at the doorsteps to their respective vicinities.

Stretching for about more than a kilometer, the condition of these areas are beyond comprehension. Children, young adults play near the heaps of garbage. Motorcycles, and other vehicles are parked on an incline. This particular incline can be dangerous for the communities, posing more risks during monsoon season. 

For the convenience of the residents, the authorities have established a staircase but not cleared an area full of solid waste materials from nearby metro construction. 

Deepak Kumar Singh, a pharmacist, at Durga Nagar reports to Mumbay Minute that he has time and again complained to the BMC regarding the management of solid waste in his vicinity. However, these complaints have not been taken seriously. 

The other residents remain indifferent to the problems around them in their daily life. A vegetable vendor, Vijay Yadav insists that they have no issues with the heaps of garbage lying around.

An open ditch, presumably, an area created to establish foundation for a metro project, has been poorly covered. Besides the manhole, old cars lie on heaps of sand.

In other areas of Mumbai 

The below photos are taken from Seepz, in a location closer to where Mithi river flows. 

In Ward 52, Goregaon East, the cleanliness drive takes place early in the morning between 6 am to 8 am. The men are equipped with a cleaning machine and broomsticks. They clear the area full of leaves and other waste materials. 

Segregation of waste is the due diligence of the citizens first, and then the government. 

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