Choked with Plastic Waste, Dharavi Nullah Needs A Hand to Thrive

The nullah in Dharavi is overflowing with plastic waste. 

(Photo Courtesy: Mushtaq Ansari/The Quint)

Video Editor: Prashant Chauhan
Video Producer: Aastha Gulati

The Dharavi nullah, an old drain situated at Mahim East, is overflowing with plastic and industrial waste.

The nullah meets Mithi river and then flows into the Arabian Sea via Mahim Creek. It is littered with garbage and residents’ waste.

The nullah is cleaned every monsoon, when waste is extracted from it by a crane. Residents of Dharavi say that it has never been fully cleaned. The cleaning drive happens, if at all, ony during the monsoon.

We spoke to some residents and here’s what they had to say:

Lakshmi, who lives in Dharavi, said that most residents were not aware of responsible waste disposal.

“What happens here is that despite having dustbins, people litter outside. People don’t even know what counts as dry waste and wet waste.”

Lakshmi, Resident 

Deepak, a shop owner in the area, told me that this has been the situation since he was young.

“I’ve seen the same situation since I was young. There has been no development.  There is a bridge over the nullah area but the problem is the same, people throw garbage into the nullah from above.”

Deepak, Shop Owner 

Due to the deteriorating condition of the drain, diseases run rife.

“There is a lot of dengue and malaria in this area. People have fallen sick, some have even been admitted to the hospital.”

Shankar, Resident  

Lalita corroborated other residents’ views.

“People are falling sick, they have dry cough.  Everyone is falling sick.”

Lalita, Resident  

The nullah carries the waste to Mahim beach, thereby polluting the water body and harming its marine life.

Many activists are making an effort to clean Mumbai’s beaches but all their hard work will be in vain if tonnes of plastic accumulates at the beach again. Residents need to take equal responsibility.

(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)