An Initiative to make Juhu Garbage Free
The Juhu Citizens’ Welfare Group (JCWG), an umbrella body of 18 advanced locality management groups , has supervised garbage collection patterns in the area. On Thursday, a group of locals gave a PowerPoint presentation in front of civic solid waste management officials on how to keep Juhu clean.
Following the presentation , officials from the BMC’s solid waste department said they were planning to initiate night garbage pickups from slums in Juhu and monitor the clearing of key community garbage bins. “We realized that by eradicating community bins, the process of collecting garbage was streamlined ,” said Hansel D’Souza , JCWG member. Bins have been removed from some localities , where garbage is now collected directly from residences.
“In the slums, people had their last meal after 10 pm and put the waste in a plastic bag and dumped it in nullahs ,” said D’Souza . The bags inevitably found their way into stormwater drains and choked the Irla nullah. The JCWG has suggested ways to develop the Irla nullah . “We have taken the stretch from Moregaon to Millennium Club and will develop it as a green zone on both sides. The newly acquired Ronson Foundation side of the plot will also be developed as a green zone. We want to develop the nullah banks as a waterfront so there is a physical barrier between the slumdwellers and the nullah,” said D’Souza .
The BMC now plans to send cycle-vans to pick up garbage at night from slum pockets in Juhu. “We will also appoint attendants to man community bins at key spots. The attendants will inform the civic control room about any community bin overflowing ,” said a civic official.
Cleanliness begins at home, or rather, in the neighbourhood. Driven by this belief, residents of Juhu have come up with an initiative to make their locality , including the famed beach, garbage free. The problem of filth accumulating on the beach was accentuated by the arrival of Wisdom as thousands of people thronged the beach to take a look at the ship, leaving behind a huge mess in the process.
“Decomposition of garbage didn’t take place and the waste remained static for nine months. When it rains, the garbage gets flushed out to the sea,” said Zahida Banatwalla , another JCWG member. The same garbage later washes ashore and leaves the beach in a mess.
“Around Rs 22,800 is spent every day on clearing garbage from Juhu beach alone,” said Banatwalla.
Times of India
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