Mumbai: After repeated warnings from green tribunal, BMC to install trash boom to unclog Mithi river

Mumbai: To prevent garbage from entering the sea, the BMC reintroduced its trash boom system last year. Now the civic body will be installing this system to unclog Mithi river near Mahim Nature Park. The booms will be functional from next week, said the civic official.

Trash booms are floating filters that are placed in nullahs and rivers to prevent the garbage from entering the sea. It also prevents blocking of the outlet, which leads to water logging.

Action taken post repeated warnings from NGT

After repeated warnings from the National Green Tribunal to stop waste from entering into the sea, the BMC had installed the filters at the mouths of various nullahs and rivers three years back. This year the civic body had installed a trash boom at eight locations from July 15.

This system is functional at Gazdhar bandh and Main avenue nullah in Juhu, Mogra Nullah in Andheri, Oshiwara river, Poisar river, Dahisar river, Vakola river and Mithi river at the Bandra-Kurla complex link bridge. With the help of this system the civic body has collected 10,500 cubic metres of floating waste in the last three months.

" We have covered half of Mithi river; now we will be using the machine on Mithi river near Mahim Nature Park," said Prashant Tayshete, deputy chief engineer of stormwater drains department (operation and Maintenance).

"The portion of Mithi river near Mahim Nature park comes under Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). We have recently received their permission to install the machine, accordingly the work will start from next week. The machine will be in use here for the next three years. We hope that people won't throw waste in rivers or nullahs," said the civic official of the sewerage department.

The BMC has collected and disposed of 750 dumper trucks of floating waste from eight locations in the last three months. The installations across these locations cost Rs. 45.2 crores. It also includes waste collection and disposal by the contractor for the next three years.