BMC's solid waste management (SWM) department said it had to remove around 1,900 MT tonnes of excess garbage the day after the water-logging, and plastic bags accounted for a major part of the garbage collected.
With civic authorities identifying choked storm water drains as the primary reason for severe water logging that brought the city to a standstill on Tuesday, clamour for a complete ban on plastic bags in Mumbai has been growing.
While there is already a ban in Maharashtra on plastic bags less than 50 microns in thickness, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, who share power in the state and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), have both been advocating a complete ban on plastic bags in the wake of Tuesday's water logging episode.
According to the BMC, discarded plastic carry bags and thermocol glasses and dishes were responsible for the severe water logging seen across the city, as they choked drains and prevented free flow of rain water. The city had received around 315 mm rainfall on Tuesday, the highest amount of rainfall received in a single day in Mumbai since the July 26, 2005 deluge. Addressing a press conference a day after torrential rains had battered the city, even BMC chief Ajoy Mehta had claimed that plastic rubbish was largely responsible for blocked drains. Turn to P4
BMC's solid waste management (SWM) department said it had to remove around 1,900 MT tonnes of excess garbage the day after the water-logging, and plastic bags accounted for a major part of the garbage collected.
Two days after the heavy rains, on August 31, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray had called for a complete ban on plastic bags in Mumbai, and tweeted that he had requested Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar and officials "to consider a complete ban on plastic in Mumbai." He added, "They have assured me to convene a meet and take the issue further. Plastic has been largely a blockage to the easy flow of drains." (sic)
Not to be left behind, on Saturday, Mumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar re-tweeted a tweet from Swapna Mhatre, a BJP corporator from Pali Hill in Bandra who had moved a notice of motion in August itself, demanding a complete ban on use plastic bags in the city to protect the environment.
Shelar congratulated the BJP corporator and tweeted, "W r pushing hard for total plastic bags ban & moved proposal in corporation house by corporator @MhatreViru ! Congrats" (sic). Mhatre had moved a notice of motion (NM) during the general body meeting of the BMC on August 10, calling for a blanket ban on plastic bags in Mumbai. The proposal was cleared by the general body, and will be sent to the state government for approval.
Mhatre said, "As per the Maharashtra Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 2006, there is a ban on the use of plastic bags less than 50 micron in thickness. However, it is not possible for the BMC to check every shop and ensure that only plastic bags of 50 micron or more are being used." She added that even plastic bags that are 50 microns in thickness take several years to decompose, and therefore, it would be better if a complete ban was introduced.
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