With access to the mangroves closed, residents have to contend with a garbage-lined road as it has been turned into a dumping ground
File pic
In September, Lokhandwala's local MLA took steps to protect the green cover adjacent to a road between Lokhandwala Back Road and SVP Nagar in Andheri West by getting a chain-link fence installed, said a report in this paper.
With access to the mangroves closed, residents have to contend with a garbage-lined road as it has been turned into a dumping ground. Before the chain-link fence was erected, all the garbage from the locality used to end up in the mangroves. Adding to the garbage is debris from various construction projects.
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While it was important to protect green cover, it was unacceptable that the garbage was being dumped in the mangroves in the first place. When that got secured with the chain link fence, the garbage moved on to the road.
It is not just a question of cleaning the dumped garbage. For how long can one keep cleaning the road? There have to be efforts to ensure that garbage is not dumped on that road at all. Mumbai is battling dengue, malaria and a lot has to do with the dirt around us.
If people are not conscientious with regards to these problems, despite the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan push, punitive action is the way forward. First signs and banners should come up along the road, warning people not to dump garbage. Illustrations about the ill effects of this wanton dumping of waste can also be effective. Complete CCTV surveillance will be helpful in keeping track of culprits.
Locals need to be roped in as they, being the directly affected party, have a stake in this. This battle has to be fought on different fronts and one has to be eternally vigilant so that it does not revert to being a dump after one clean up. Residents and authorities must form a watertight game plan to tackle this.
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