Thane: 800 Kg Waste Removed From Sarsola Jetty as Volunteers Flag Systemic Pollution Crisis

Navi Mumbai: Undeterred by a difficult terrain, a dedicated group of 40 citizens extracted 800 kg of non-biodegradable waste from Sarsola Jetty during their 303rd consecutive weekly clean-up on Sunday.

Organised by the Environment Life Foundation, the cross-generational team—ranging from five-year-olds to septuagenarians—battled dense mud for two hours on Sunday morning to rescue a vital marine habitat.

​Sarsola Jetty is part of the marine ecosystem that includes Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, a designated Ramsar site of international ecological importance. However, urban negligence has effectively transformed this protected wetland buffer into an aquatic dump yard. Volunteers reported that crucial mangrove roots were completely buried beneath thick layers of plastic bottles, wrappers, and household debris. This multi-city waste continuously washes into the sensitive ecosystem from across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), including Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad.

​"Cleaning up is just a temporary bandage on a bleeding artery," warned Dharmesh Barai, Founder of the Environment Life Foundation. "The real cure must start at the source. The plastic citizens casually toss into municipal drains travels through the creek network to suffocate these vital habitats."

​With thousands of tonnes of rubbish still trapped in the mangroves, Barai has issued an urgent appeal to Maharashtra's Forest Minister, Ganesh Naik, and local civic bodies. The foundation is calling for permanent infrastructure-led solutions rather than temporary pre-monsoon drain desilting.

​Their proposed strategy urges municipal corporations to install heavy-duty trash booms and interceptor nets at crucial drainage choke points to capture floating debris before it enters the creek.

Additionally, they are demanding strict surveillance with financial penalties for illegal dumping, root-cause mapping of high-waste zones, and consistent garbage collection infrastructure across all residential areas, from high-rises to informal settlements. Garbage that is not sent to treatment plant finds its way into storm water drains and nullahs the empty into the creek. The non-biodegradable can choke mangrove trees and destroy the crucial marine ecosystem.

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