• Food & Lifestyle
  • Tech
  • Viral
  • Sci-Tech
  • Interview
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Contact Us
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Afternoon Voice
  • Top News
  • City News
    • Ahmedabad
    • Amritsar
    • Bangalore
    • Chandigarh
    • Chennai
    • Delhi
    • Hyderabad
    • Jaipur
    • Kolkata
    • Lucknow
    • Ludhiana
    • Mumbai
    • Nagpur
    • Nashik
    • Pune
    • Thane
  • Nation
    • Andhra Pradesh
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Delhi & NCR
    • Goa
    • Gujarat
    • Jammu & Kashmir
    • Karnataka
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Maharashtra
    • Northeast
    • Punjab & Haryana
    • Rajasthan
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Uttar Pradesh
    • West Bengal
    • Other States
  • World
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • Middle East
  • Business
    • Aviation
    • Banking & Finance
    • Budget & Policies
    • Economy
    • Companies
    • Market
    • Auto
    • Startup
    • Property
  • Sports
    • All
    • Badminton
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • Hockey
    • News
    • Others
    • Tennis

    Meghana, Aditee to lead India’s challenge in Rhythmic Gymnastics Cup

    16-year-old Aryaan become first Indian tennis player to flunk dope test

    Rahul recalled, Karthik dropped, Markande new face for Australia engagements

    Australia ODIs: Choice between Khaleel and Unadkat for ODIs

    Ronaldo on bench as Juve warm up for Atletico against Frosinone

    Sindhu kick starts Senior Nationals with an easy win

    Derrick Pereira named coach of India U-23 football team

    Deshpande, Mandhana among Maharashtra state sports award winners

    Footballer Sala’s body to be returned to Argentina on Friday

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Bollywood
    • Hollywood
    • Review
    NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 06:  Karen Elson attends the amfAR New York Gala 2019 at Cipriani Wall Street on February 6, 2019 in New York City.  (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 16:  Musician Ryan Adams attends the Capitol Records 75th anniversary gala at Capitol Records Tower on November 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

    Karen Elson opens up about ‘traumatising’ experience with Ryan Adams

    Lady Gaga breaks up with fiance Christian Carino?

    It doesn’t look real: James Cameron on ‘Aquaman’s’ depiction of underwater life

    Never thought I’d get to talk about feminism all day: Larson on being Captain Marvel’

    Stan Lee will be missed: Samuel L Jackson

    ‘Star Trek’ animated kids show in works

    Benedict Cumberbatch to play Satan in ‘Good Omens’

    Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock (10081433cq)
Chris Pratt
'The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part' Film Premiere, Arrivals, Regency Village Theatre, Los Angeles, USA - 02 Feb 2019

    Chris Pratt in talks to star in ‘Ghost Draft’

    For survival one has to keep changing their style of work, says Indra Kumar

  • Editorial
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Diary
    • Letters
  • Epaper
No Result
View All Result
Afternoon Voice
No Result
View All Result

Home > Editorial > Not only plastic bags, chocolate wrappers to condoms challenges Mumbai

Not only plastic bags, chocolate wrappers to condoms challenges Mumbai

Vaidehi by Vaidehi
June 25, 2018
1

In the year 2010, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) decided to impose a fine on people found dumping garbage in drains. If anyone is caught throwing garbage in a drain, they will have to pay Rs 5,000 as a fine for first offence. BMC teams were formed in every ward under the ward officer who would go around the city keeping an eye out for offenders. The amount of fine was depending on how much garbage an individual dumps. Clean up marshals have also been on alert, but later on, they landed up blackmailing and extorting people. The cleanup drive and its marshals remained utter flop and the plastic bags still sunk the city but no one was caught. Some formalities were done to show the numbers. Throwing garbage in the open is not only an offence but it leads to choking of the drains. If drains are choked, that leads to flooding. People still lack civic sense. After eight years, again in 2018, the Maharashtra government has decided to ban plastic and impose fine on users.

Last week, rains exposed the double standards of BMC and the state government. Mumbai was flooding; many nullahs (drains) that pass through thickly populated slums were choked. Nullahs around the paan shops were seen with heavy garbage of pan masala’s waterproof sachets and Gutka’s plastic wraps. Areas like Pila House and Nagpada nullahs were choked with condoms. Even if the drains are cleaned, garbage from these areas was found floating in them the next day. Just plastic bags are the not the issues, from chocolate wrappers to condoms all those waterproof wrappers are the challenge to Mumbai’s drainage system. Many slums which are situated on drains such as Chamdawadi nullah, that passes through the Behrampada slum in Bandra (East), gets choked with garbage that people living in homes near the drain throw in it. You cannot stop them unless and until there is a strict vigil. There are many slums on gutters, who do small-scale works throw most of the waste in these drainage pipes. The BMC finds it difficult to clean these drains regularly because most of them are difficult to access due to shanties built around them. The politicians who rule the city and the state of Maharashtra blame it on the weather but they still failed to understand the geographical conditions and drainage issues pertaining to the city.

No one disputes that the island city on the Arabian Sea gets a large share of rainfall every year. Many ambitious projects like Metro etc. that have made many ecological compromises. The systematic destruction of about 1,000 acres of the city’s mangrove cover – what’s left, about 5,000 acres, is under threat and that has deprived Mumbai of its natural flood-barrier and silt trap. Now rainwater washes silt into the bay, threatening to clog the city’s deep natural harbour. Many ecologically unsound decisions have caused huge financial damage. Meanwhile, horror stories abound of urban welfare projects have gone terribly awry. Mangroves have been cleared to build golf courses, amusement parks and rubbish dumps. Building construction is planned on thousands of acres of salt pan land. In the 16th century, 95 per cent of today’s Mumbai was under water. It’s not just the “no-development zones” that have fallen prey to the frenzy of unplanned building.

Typically, 35-40 per cent of rainwater is absorbed by the land, lifting groundwater levels, but there are few open spaces left in Mumbai. India has the lowest ratio of open space to people in the world – a mere four acres per 1,000 of the population, compared to the global benchmark of 12 acres. In Mumbai, this falls to a paltry 0.2 acres, and after accounting for slums, it diminishes to a measly 0.03 acres. An unholy nexus between the politicians, builders and unfettered development have brought the city to the brink of collapse. Thousands of tons of unlearned rubbish choke the city’s 100-year-old storm water drains, which urgently need an overhaul. And in a city where 88 per cent of commuters use public transport, governments spend a lot on flyovers and a pittance on upgrading creaky trains and buses. In the next 50 years, the storm drains that carry rainwater out of Mumbai could be bringing sea water in, even at low tide. Storm water drains choked with ubiquitous plastic carry bags are partly responsible for Mumbai’s woes.

The Environment Ministry’s decision to ban the manufacture and use of small plastics carry bag has gone unheeded, not just in Maharashtra, but also in most parts of the country. In June 1998, the Bombay Municipal Corporation passed a resolution to ban plastics carry bags only to vacate it in less than two days. The then Mumbai Mayor said no plastic bags meant putting out of work those engaged in the plastics recycling industry. India’s plastics consumption is one of the highest in the world. Yet, precious little has been done to recycle, re-use and dispose of plastic waste. The carry bags that are callously littered at every public place have low economic value and are not picked up by rag pickers. About 500 flimsy polythene bags make a kilo and fetch about Rs 12, if the bags are soiled the value is even less. Without being picked up, most of the poly-bags end up in drains and block flow of water. In absence of a long-term Government policy, we are unable to get rid of poly-bags. When sewerage is blocked, municipal corporations and State pollution control boards only pass the buck. Corporations just throw up their hands when it comes to handling the enormous quantity of plastic waste. Besides choking drains, plastics are highly toxic. When burned they release cancer-causing gases. Lying in the garbage, polythene bags also find their way in gut of the cattle, asphyxiating the animals. Mumbai crisis serves as a grim reminder that unless our plastic waste is taken care of, we cannot dream to emulate Shanghai. The Panvel City Municipal Corporation even penalised the Kharghar-based DAV School’s canteen for using plastic spoons and glasses.

RelatedPosts

Isn’t it enough to act against terror attacks on Jawans?

February 15, 2019

Mulayam blesses Modi to come to power by denting Akhilesh

February 14, 2019

Starbucks and McDonald’s outlet, faced action for plastic articles found on their premises. These outlets were fined Rs 5,000 each, while the fast-food outlet would face further proceedings as it refused to pay up. In the neighbouring districts of Thane and Navi Mumbai, the official machinery kicked off the drive in earnest — 100 people were fined Rs 95,000 for violations in Thane, while Rs 35,000 was collected in fines at Navi Mumbai and plastic goods seized. All this hype is only during rains to save the skin of authority, Mumbai has many other plastic challenges and government needs to be serious about it.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on [email protected])

Help Parallel Media, Support Journalism, Free Press, Afternoon Voice

Tags: BandraBMCMumbaiplasticPlastic bags
Previous Post

Late Lateef Central Railway

Next Post

BJP free to fight elections alone: JD(U)

Vaidehi

Vaidehi

Vaidehi Taman is an Investigative Journalist, Editor, Ethical Hacker, Philanthropist, and an Author. She is Editor-in-Chief of Newsmakers Broadcasting and Communications Pvt. Ltd. Since 9 years, which features an English daily tabloid – Afternoon Voice, a Marathi web portal – Mumbai Manoos, monthly magazines like Hackers5, Beyond the news (international) and Maritime Bridges. She is also an EC Council Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Security Analyst and is also a Licensed Penetration Tester which she caters for her sister-concern Kaizen-India Infosec Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Related Posts

Editorial

Isn’t it enough to act against terror attacks on Jawans?

by Vaidehi
February 15, 2019
Editorial

Mulayam blesses Modi to come to power by denting Akhilesh

by Web Team
February 14, 2019
Editorial

Biased Ambedkar bargains on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

by Vaidehi
February 13, 2019
Editorial

Are Nehru, Gandhi, and Savarkar most hated leaders by Opponents?

by Vaidehi
February 12, 2019
Editorial

Bollywood’s grazing on Indian politics and filmmaking

by Vaidehi
February 11, 2019
Editorial

We, the Slaves of Independent India

by Vaidehi
February 10, 2019
Editorial

What are Hindu Principles & what comprises ‘Hindutva’ Outlook?

by Vaidehi
February 8, 2019
Editorial

Robert Vadra is BJP’s gizmo against Priyanka Gandhi

by Vaidehi
February 7, 2019
Next Post

BJP free to fight elections alone: JD(U)

Australia slumps to sixth rank after series loss to England

Heavy rain causes water-logging in Mumbai

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

Ulhasnagar Sindhis drifting away from Hinduism

December 28, 2018

Sex rackets in the name of Friendship club

April 27, 2017

Swami Nithyananda assures No More Blinds!

January 24, 2019

Time to remember sacrifices of freedom fighters

December 19, 2018

Man sets afire 40-year-old woman, her 2 kin; 1 dies

13

21-year-old girl tries to sell kidney to meet demand of her lover, saved

10

Man’s hand chopped off in MP for enquiring about missing cow

10

The silent Hindu resurgence in Kerala

6

Spine-chilling! Soldiers’ sacrifice for Political connotation?

February 15, 2019

Isn’t it enough to act against terror attacks on Jawans?

February 15, 2019

President greets KCR on birthday

February 15, 2019

Two disgruntled Cong MLAs meet Siddaramaiah

February 15, 2019

Poll

[totalpoll id=”193931″]

ADVERTISEMENT
  • Astro speaks for PM Modi: NaMo to retain power once again in 2019 General Elections

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Karen Elson opens up about ‘traumatising’ experience with Ryan Adams

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Winds of Change, Modi unwelcomed

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Swami Nithyananda assures No More Blinds!

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Dawood gives a portion of his narco-money to Jihadist-Islamist groups — Part II

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
ADVERTISEMENT
Afternoon Voice

Copyright © 2018 Afternoon Voice.

Navigate Site

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Support Parallel Media

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Top News
  • City News
    • Ahmedabad
    • Amritsar
    • Bangalore
    • Chandigarh
    • Chennai
    • Delhi
    • Hyderabad
    • Jaipur
    • Kolkata
    • Lucknow
    • Ludhiana
    • Mumbai
    • Nagpur
    • Nashik
    • Pune
    • Thane
  • Nation
    • Andhra Pradesh
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Delhi & NCR
    • Goa
    • Gujarat
    • Jammu & Kashmir
    • Karnataka
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Maharashtra
    • Northeast
    • Punjab & Haryana
    • Rajasthan
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Uttar Pradesh
    • West Bengal
    • Other States
  • World
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • Middle East
  • Business
    • Aviation
    • Banking & Finance
    • Budget & Policies
    • Economy
    • Companies
    • Market
    • Auto
    • Startup
    • Property
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Diary
    • Letters
  • Epaper

Copyright © 2018 Afternoon Voice.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.