Saving city's beaches, one clean-up at a time

With an aim to ensure that citizens enjoy clean beaches, a group named Water Conservation Community (WCC) has joined hands with college students and citizens to make the city's coastline garbage-free.

At beaches in Chimbai, Juhu, Danda, Koliwada and Versova, the amount of waste and plastic washed ashore pollutes the coastline to a great extent. In order to raise awareness and bring the youth together for the cause, WCC plans to invite colleges to adopt a beach, and work in coherence with local BMC ward offices to achieve a cleaner coastline.

The project, which kickstarted at Chimbai beach, aims to raise awareness about littering and the use of public toilets among the communities staying in nearby areas.

Speaking about the initiative, Shibani Sachdeva, Lead Associate, Joy of Water Foundation, said, "We began a primary project to clean up Chimbai beach from February 26. The initiative will set an example to clean up other beaches. We are thankful to BMC's H/West ward for supporting our cause and helping us during the drive. It is a long-term project through which we hope to make students realise the current condition of the city's water bodies."

Colleges like St Andrew's College, Lala Lajpatrai College, Siddharth College, Sydenham College and VJTI, among others, are part of the initiative.

The drive was rolled out by collecting data and pictures on the present condition of the beaches and understanding the need for intervention. The group also interacted with the Koli community and other inhabitants of Mumbai's beaches.

The Principal of St Andrew's College, Dr Marie Fernandes, said, "I am passionate about saving our planet and cleaning up water bodies, as water is vital to life. Also, it's important to realise the oneness in nature with everything around, like the concept of 'One World, One Family'."

Sachdeva, said, "Citizens should be responsible for their neighbourhood environment. We have over 13 colleges participating and over 300 volunteered to clean Chimbai beach."

During the first clean-up drive, college students raised awareness about the importance of ocean through placards. Besides the clean-up drive, students also showcased their artwork related to the topic.

St Andrew's College Professor Omkar Bhatkar made students aware about the importance of the project through documentaries. It helped students understand the global scenario of water conservation better.