mid-day gets mega nullah clean-up for Cheetah Camp

After midday highlighted the sorry state of the nullah at Cheetah Camp in Mankhurd which was severely clogged with garbage due to littering the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC swung into action removing 300 metric tonnes of trash over four daysResidents and activists who have been advocating for cleaner living conditions have requested that the authorities prevent the drain from getting clogged againThe cleanup driveldquoThey cleaned it up in four days from June 28 to July 2 with a oneday break in betweenrdquo said Asif Sayed a local activist who along with Dharmesh Barai from the Environment Life Foundation had petitioned the authorities to initiate a cleanup drive aim to make the area better for residentsThe Cheetah Camp nullah in Mankhurd after the recent cleanup driveSayed said ldquoI was with them all the days when cleaning was carried out Even the workers were shocked by seeing the amount of garbage that came out of the nullah I agree that itrsquos the people who live here and arenrsquot aware of the consequences of littering that are responsible for the buildup of trashrdquoBarai told midday ldquoThe BMCrsquos recent cleanup is equivalent to almost a 100 manual cleanup drives that we do on mangrove land and beachesrdquo The civic body removed almost 300 metric tonnes of garbage in this drive aloneWhile the garbage has been removed Sayed said not all of it has been transported to proper dumping grounds ldquoThe contractor told me he was not responsible for taking away the trash to a dumping yard but he said that he would tell his superiors that the garbage was to be moved from our areardquoA resident said ldquoIt finally feels a little better to walk by the road along the nullah There was a constant rancid smell but now it feels like we are breathing purer airrdquoBarai said ldquoHalf of the work in the area is done with the cleaning of this nullah If a stretch that comes under the forest department is also cleaned our operation could be considered a 100 per cent successrdquoResidents pointed out that an 800metre stretch of land under the forest department is full of piles of garbage and debris from previously demolished houses ldquoThis spot also needs to be cleaned but it seems that this will only be possible once the monsoon season ends Until then residents who live nearby will have to bear the stenchrdquo said SayedAccording to Sayed and Barai a proper system that prevents people from throwing garbage in the area is sorely needed ldquoWe hope the authorities also set up a fence or a barrier over the nullah soonrdquo said BaraiAbhijit Bangar additional municipal commissioner in charge of stormwater drains told midday that the BMC was considering fencing nullahs Asked about the Cheeta Camp nullah specifically he said ldquoWe need to check the area before saying if it can be implemented there It is important to figure out which kind of fencing would work and we are in the process of doing sordquoMeanwhile Ujwal Ingole assistant commissioner M East ward said ldquoWe are actively taking action to clean up nullahs maintain them and ensure that garbage is not left along the nullah but taken to a proper dumping groundrdquoAsked about cleaning the 800metre stretch Ingole said ldquoIf the forest department is ready to give us its permission we will clean that area too but until then we cannot do anything to help those residing along the stretchrdquoThe BMC is also looking into putting a net or barrier along the nullah to keep it garbagefreeldquoWe have been looking into feasible options One solution cannot be commonly implemented in every locality We are also working with local activists to create awareness against throwing garbage in the nullahrdquo Ingole saidForest deptrsquos versionSachin More round officer from the Turbhe division of the Navi Mumbai Mangrove Range Forest Office Central Mumbai told midday ldquoWe have made plans to remove the debris from the 800metre stretch which we have implemented halfway Once the monsoon ends we will ensure that everything is cleaned We had sent the BMC letter about cleaning the area and they had helped us do it to an extent If they are willing to work with us again we will clean stretch togetherrdquo