Mumbai: AI cameras installed by BMC in Mahim faces concerns over false alerts

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has installed an artificial intelligence AIenabled camera at a garbagevulnerable point near Gajanan Vatika in Mahim to deter open dumping But while the initiative has received a positive response from some locals a midday test raised questions about how accurately the system identifies litteringDuring a visit to the spot the camerarsquos audio warning was triggered repeatedly as the reporter moved in and out of its surveillance zone including when carrying no garbage bag The test raises concerns about false alerts particularly at nightGarbage dumped at a spot close to the area monitored by the BMCrsquos new AI cameraThe initiative also faces another challenge people accustomed to dumping waste at the spot were seen moving to other sides of the triangular garden to dispose of their garbageHow the camera is supposed to workAccording to the civic body the AIenabled camera identifies people approaching a garbagevulnerable point to dispose of waste and issues an immediate audio warning asking them not to litterThe cleanedup dumping spot in Mahim where the BMC has installed an AIenabled camera to deter littering PicsShadab KhanThe installation is part of the BMCrsquos efforts to tackle recurring garbage dumping at public locations The civic body has indicated that it plans to install similar cameras at other locations across MumbaiWhat midday foundgtgt The site was clean The BMC had cleared the area before installing the cameragtgt Warnings could be triggered by movement The announcement played repeatedly when the reporter walked through the surveillance zone without a garbage baggtgt Dumping appeared to shift People who stopped disposing of waste at the monitored spot were seen moving to other sides of the triangular gardenGarbage bags accumulate at spots a little away from the BMCrsquos new AIenabled antilittering camera in Mahim PicsShadab Khangtgt Garbage accumulated nearby Over about 40 minutes a spot that initially had one garbage bag accumulated another five or six according to the reporterrsquos observationgtgt Collection delays persisted Residents and waste collectors said they had to wait for the garbage collection truckBMCrsquos responsemidday contacted the civic body seeking clarification on what the camerarsquos AI detects as well as on residentsrsquo concerns about the announcement volume garbage collection delays and dumping shifting to nearby locations The BMC had not responded by press timeResident SpeaklsquoThe announcement was loud and startlingrsquoNaresh Jain who runs a business opposite the spot said the camera initially deterred people from dumping waste However its announcement volume became a concernlsquoThe authorities installed the cameras yesterday and we were very intrigued by it People had actually been deterred by the announcements from the camera But on Wednesday the volume of the announcement was very loud and startling When the locals told the authorities they came and fixed it by lowering the volumerdquo he saidThe lower volume appeared manageable during the day amid traffic noise However residents are concerned about whether the announcements could disturb them at nightrsquolsquoIncrease the frequency of garbage collectionrsquoMinal Patil who lives in a building opposite the spot waited from 4 pm to 435 pm on Thursday with her household waste after a civic worker stationed there asked her to wait for the collection truck lsquoOur household consumes fish on a daily basis and the waste that comes from the cooking if kept in the house becomes very stinky So if the authorities want us to not dispose of it in the spots we have been then they have to increase the frequency of the garbage pickups and a time frame of when the trucks will be coming will be helpfulrsquolsquoI waited for two hoursrsquoA woman A woman who works at a nearby building collecting garbage said she had waited for two hours for the truck but it did not arrive lsquoI waited here for 2 hours for the truck to come but it didnrsquot The official here told me that the truck might be stuck in traffic If that is the case then we need more trucks to come The initiative is great but at the same time the locals of the area have been asked to forget a habit they have developed over 2 to 3 decades That is a hard changersquolsquoIf it works other areas will benefitrsquoSunil Lakshman Parab Local resident welcomed the initiative but said its success would depend on addressing the implementation gapslsquoIf this thing works out the implementation of this in other areas will be very helpful for the city We have multiple spots which need such care If issues such as new spots popping up and low frequency are tackled by the authorities there will be no looking back for usrsquo