The monsoon is still a month away, but certain BMC officers are working against the clock to eliminate the plastic menace in time for the rains, as the little bags are notorious for clogging drains and preventing rainwater from reaching the sea, which in turn leads to flooding. The disastrous floods in 2005 have been attributed largely to plastic bags clogging the drains, and ever since, the civic body has been waging a difficult war against the plastic menace, conducting regular raids to seize plastic bags of the harmful below-50 micron category from hawkers and establishments.u00a0

In 2011, the civic body seized around 3,268.8 kg of plastic – a definite improvement on 2010’s haul, and also apprehended 7,464 offenders. The fear of raids is part of the reason shopping malls and stores are so vigilant about charging customers for plastic bags. “The regular raids, and the charges levied on plastic bags given to customers, has brought a measure of control on the plastic menace,” said an official, on the condition of anonymity.