Despite flopping, BMC to get new Rs 48.5 crore trash booms for nullahs in Mumbai

The trash boom installed at Mogra nullah

Though its previous attempt to stop garbage from going into the sea using trash booms, implemented at a cost of Rs 1.17 crore, did not yield any results, the BMC is going to order nine new ones at a cost of Rs 48.5 crore. The booms come with a cleaning mechanism and maintenance for three years. The BMC administration claimed that the earlier experiment failed because the booms did not have a cleaning system.

The trash boom installed at P&T nullah

After repeated warnings from the National Green Tribunal to stop waste from floating into the sea, the civic body had installed the filters at the mouths of various nullahs and rivers like Irla, Mogra, P&T, SNDT nullahs and Dahisar, Poisar, Oshiwara and Mithi rivers in 2019. The idea was to collect the trash with poclain machines and transfer it to dumping grounds. "Though the waste was trapped by the booms, it was difficult to collect it as the mouths of rivers and nullahs are wide and a poclain machine could not reach till the centre. The booms were of no use and ultimately had to be removed for smooth flow of water," said an officer with the Storm Water Department (SWD).

The new proposal

Now the SWD is proposing to instal nine booms at various locations. The cost is much higher than the earlier project, but officials claimed that they would come up with installations, barges, collection and transport system of the waste and maintenance for three years. Of the Rs 48.5 crore, Rs 13.5 crore is the actual cost of the booms, barges and installation, and the rest is the cost of operation and maintenance.

The nine booms will be installed at Gazdar Bandh, Main Avenue, Mogra nullahs and Oshiwara, Poisar, Dahisar, Vakola rivers and at two places on the Mithi river - near Maharashtra Nature park and BKC bridge. The BMC administration has finalised Virgo Specialties Private Limited - which has a tie-up with a Denmark-based company for the supply, installation, operation and maintenance. The proposal will be tabled in the standing committee for approval on Wednesday.

"The booms will be procured from an international company which has expertise in this. They have already installed such booms in the Yamuna River in Delhi. As they will provide barges, it will be easy to collect the trash across the flow, unlike the earlier system," said an officer with SWD. If the project yields success, the BMC will consider installing the filters at other locations too.

What are trash booms?
A trash boom is a floating barrier placed nine inches above water level and a net is laid across a nullah/river from one end to the other to capture floating garbage. The huge nets capture garbage on waterfronts without obstructing the flow.

Rs 13.5 cr
Cost of booms, barges and installation from the total cost