People pitch in, help BMC clear beaches of 150 tons trash

MUMBAI: The day after Ganpati Visarjan, Mumbaikars, mostly students, helped civic workers remove 150 tons of disposed puja material and other waste from the city’s beaches. Nevertheless, environmental experts have warned of toxicity at the beaches for a few days and fear damage to marine life.
Close to 48,000 idols were immersed from Monday till Tuesday morning, of which close to 45,500 immersions were in the sea and lakes, and over 2,500 done in an eco-friendly way in makeshift ponds.After the last immersions, many organizations joined hands to start cleaning the beaches and lakesides, mainly to segregate waste as dry and wet.
“I think the onus is on us to be an inspiration for the old,” said MD College student Ankit Chuarasia, a volunteer of United Way Initiative. The organisation’s volunteers has reached Girgaum and Juhu early in the morning.
At Juhu beach, garbage was collected in six large lorries, said assistant commissioner (K-West ward) Vishwas Shankarwar. “Many citizen groups and students from various institutions came to clean the beach, which is a major immersion spot.”
Juhu resident Ashok Pandit, a member of the Gulmohar Area Societies Welfare Group, said garbage was also found throughout the immersion route from Khar till Juhu beach and from there to Juhu circle. “If political parties provide refreshments to devotees in paper plates and glasses, they must also make arrangements to dispose them off appropriately.”
Cleaning of the D-Ward (Grant Road, Bhulabhai Desai Road, etc) started soon after Lalbaugcha Raja was immersed at 9am. The ward’s assistant commissioner, Parag Masurkar, said that because of high tide, garbage will continue to be pushed back to Girgaum Chowpatty for a month at least.