Mumbai News: BMC Launches Pilot Cleanliness Drive At Vakola River To Curb Dumping And Promote Waste Segregation

Mumbai: In a bid to curb dumping in Mumbai’s nullahs and rivers, the BMC is set to launch a public awareness campaign. As part of a pilot initiative, a cleanliness drive will be conducted at the Vakola River. This effort will involve local residents, solid waste management (SWM) experts, and NGOs, working together to clean the river and promote responsible waste disposal.

Announcement at Bandra Workshop

The announcement was made by Deputy Municipal Commissioner Kiran Dighavkar during a workshop held in MIG club at Bandra on Wednesday. The BMC's ‘H East’ ward, the World Resources Institute India (WRI), and various non-governmental organisations working in the field of SWM jointly organised a ward-wise stakeholder workshop titled ‘Journey Towards Community Participation for Waste Management in Mumbai’.

The workshop included brainstorming sessions on topics such as waste segregation, raising awareness among citizens, and cleaning efforts for the Mithi River and Vakola nullah to keep them free of waste.

Plan for Expansion Across Mumbai

Dighavkar further stated, "Following the pilot cleanliness drive for the Vakola nullah, the initiative will be expanded in the future to cover all rivers and nullahs across Mumbai on a larger scale."

Mrudula Ande, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of H East Ward, said, "While BMC staff are working tirelessly, open dumping in densely populated areas remains a challenge. The ward collects nearly 300 tonnes of waste daily."

She stressed the need for sustained solutions and proposed setting designated days for collecting different types of waste — dry, wet, and electronic — to promote better segregation at the source.

Challenges and Call for Community Participation

A large volume of waste is generated daily from residential, commercial, industrial, and informal settlements. Much of this waste is dumped in open spaces and water bodies, including the Mithi River, Vakola, Poisar river, and smaller drains—leading to environmental degradation and waterlogging during heavy rains.

Experts at the workshop emphasised that community participation is crucial to keeping Mumbai clean and beautiful. The discussion highlighted the importance of waste segregation, disposing of garbage only in designated bins, and using BMC-provided waste collection containers in housing societies. Raising public awareness on these practices was identified as a key priority.

Also Watch:

Stakeholders in Attendance

The event was also attended by Deputy Commissioner (Zone 3) Vishwas Mote, Assistant Commissioner Dinesh Pallewad, Jyoti Mhapsekar (Stree Mukti Sanghatana), Amita Bhide (TISS), representatives from NGOs, and BMC officials.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/