The world's largest beach clean-up drive at Versova, which was lauded by the United Nations, will not only grow bigger this year, but similar campaigns are likely to be initiated at three or four more beaches in the city.

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Lawyer Afroz Shah, who has received the UN's highest environmental accolade — the Champions of the Earth Award for leading the drive at Versova, said that the beach clean-up drive would be launched at other beaches in Mumbai in 2017.

"Though a final decision is yet to be taken as to which of the 19 beaches should be taken up first for the activity, we plan to decide it in a fortnight and the activity would now be spread to at least three to four more beaches in 2017," Shah said, adding that the beaches could include Mahim, Chimbai and others.

Shah along with his neighbour Harbansh Mathur had initiated Versova beach clean up on weekends in October 2015 by physically picking up garbage and trash accumulated on Versova beach, including sacks of cement, clothes, shoes, and loads of plastic bags and bottles. Soon the initiative gathered steam as the duo was joined by local residents.

According to Shah, over the past 15 months, they have collected 4,200 tonnes of garbage from Versova beach and have been joined by celebrities, common citizens as well as a group of students. Members of VRV claimed that while initially they saw no help coming in from BMC officials, as the campaign grew and a large number of citizens volunteered, civic officials also pitched in with their men and machinery, enabling even more garbage to be cleared from the beaches.

The beach clean-up project became so popular that even international celebrities got involved, and in August 2016, United Nation's (UN) 'Patron of the Oceans' Lewis Pugh—a leading figure known for his efforts to protect oceans joined Shah and other citizens to clean up the beach.

The condition of beaches in Mumbai has always been under the scanner, as resident groups from Mahim, Juhu, Andheri as well as Malad and Borivli have always complained of how the BMC was unable to provide citizens with clean beaches. It did not come as a surprise to many when NGO Reef Watch, in its five-month study initiated from November 2015 to March 2016 surveyed beaches at Versova, Juhu, Dadar Girgaum Chowpatty, Uttan, Gorai, Aksa and Madh. The report found that Juhu, Versova and Aksa were the dirtiest beaches.