Where does the garbage collected from Kihim beach go?

The good news is the good people of beach town Alibaug have followed the example of Versova residents - when Afroz Shah and team successfully cleaned the beach of plastic, garbage and other litter

The garbage collected during Kihim beach

The good news is the good people of beach town Alibaug have followed the example of Versova residents - when Afroz Shah and team successfully cleaned the beach of plastic, garbage and other litter - and come together to spruce up the waterfront in their area, collecting 1,000 bags of plastic litter from Kihim beach. The bad news is that they don't know what to do with it, as the only dumping ground there is full beyond its capacity and Alibaug doesn't have a proper garbage disposal policy in place.

Clean-up drive in Alibaug

The drive on the one-kilometre Kihim beach was started in the first week of May and went on for almost four weeks, carried out on the weekends.

Also read: Is this Mumbai's Versova beach or a dumping ground?

Environmentalist Sumaira Abdulali of Awaaz Foundation has written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, requesting him to look into the issue before the rains wash the waste back into the sea and/or contaminate the private land, where the bags have been kept for now. "We request your personal intervention for a long-term action plan and sustainable system for beach cleaning and garbage disposal in Alibaug" stated the letter.

Senior advocate and Alibaug resident Sagar Patil said the 20-acre dumping ground in the town is already full. "Currently, the bags have been kept at a private property owned by Sumaira (Abdulali) near the beach. We have spoken with the government authorities, but they too don't have a solution for us."

Also read - Mumbai: 5 million kg of trash later, Versova gets beach back

Alibaug is a municipal council and Kihim beach falls outside its jurisdiction, coming under the gram panchayat. The villagers have tried interacting with both the council and gram panchayat authorities, but in vain. Locals said the garbage collection van that comes takes only household waste, not that collected from the beaches.

Also read - Mumbai: Here's how residents are fighting filth with football at Mahim Beach

A resident of Kamath village near Kihim beach said, "The government and local authorities need to take a serious note of the garbage problem here, because if this continues, it will be a huge threat to the marine life. Villagers, at times, have to burn the waste, which is dangerous."

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