Environmentalists raise alarm on sewage effluents pouring into sea

Mumbai: With the Bombay high court rapping the BMC and the state government for not being able to control pollution from untreated sewage released into the sea, environmentalists have pointed out that there is need for an immediate solution to the problem.

While the court has directed that measures be taken to control sea pollution which is now resulting in garbage getting washed ashore at city beaches, environmentalists have said that the waste should be stopped at its source by putting up nets and stopping further accumulation of solid waste.

Solid waste experts said that despite there being Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, in place, not much had been done to ensure segregation of waste at residential societies. “Many societies are not following the process of segregation of waste and still, a large chunk of solid waste is ending up in landfills. Major landfills of Mumbai like Kanjur-marg and Mulund have water bodies beside them where the waste flows and the garbage ends up in the sea,” said Rishi Aggarwal, Mumbai-based solid waste expert.

During a recent hearing in the National Green Tribunal, it was highlighted that garbage dumped into storm water nullahs and rivers was taking a toll on natural resources like creeks and mangroves and subsequently ending up in the sea. “We have to find a solution to prevent the waste from entering the sea. Installation of nets in storm water drains can be most effective as they trap the flowing plastic,” said Stalin Dayanand, project director of NGO Vanashakti.