Home / Environment / Floating Booms Fight Mumbai's Plastic Tide
Floating Booms Fight Mumbai's Plastic Tide
9 May
Summary
- Floating waste barriers trap plastic before it reaches the sea.
- Mumbai deploys a network of 21 trash booms to combat pollution.
- Over 5,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste enter the Arabian Sea daily.
Mumbai is actively tackling marine pollution with an expanding network of floating waste barriers, or trash booms, installed across its drains and rivers. The latest installation in Wadala features a 57-meter barrier designed to intercept nearly 200 tonnes of plastic and debris before it enters the Arabian Sea.
This initiative addresses the critical issue of waste mismanagement, where a substantial portion of Mumbai's daily 6,600 metric tonnes of solid waste bypasses landfills and pollutes waterways. A recent survey indicated that approximately 5,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste flows into the Arabian Sea daily through Mumbai's drains.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) began deploying trash booms in 2022, initially across six locations in the western suburbs, following directives from the National Green Tribunal. The city now hosts 21 operational trash booms, with 17 managed by the BMC and four funded through CSR initiatives.
Each trash boom costs approximately Rs. 1.5 crore for installation, with additional costs for operation and maintenance. The design considers local tide patterns and hydrology. The Bharat Clean Rivers Foundation, involved in the Mahul drain installation, also plans to recycle captured waste and refine the boom designs based on collected data.
Future plans include deploying nine more trash booms across various locations and installing nets at slum pockets to prevent waste at the source. Efforts are also underway to assess and recycle the captured waste, providing it a second life.
