Dahisar River inundated with garbage: NGO

Mumbai: The stretch of the Dahisar River along the retaining wall has been covered under huge heaps of debris and garbage. So much so that activists have alleged that not only construction material is dumped into the river but also sewage from the adjoining buildings. To make matters worse, a few tourist buses parked near the river stretch are also allegedly dumping garbage generated by their operators into the river. New Link Road Residents Forum (NLRRF), a non-profit organisation, has written to the assistant municipal commissioner about the matter.

Harish Pandey, president, NLRRF, said, “There has been systematic dumping of construction debris or rubble and garbage into the Dahisar River. Furthermore, sewage from the adjoining buildings is being illegally discharged into the river. It is surprising how the BMC has given permission to residential buildings which do not even have a proper drainage system.” “The private buses parked near the river stretch in Pramila Nagar are dumping water bottles, cups and plates, and food packets directly into the river. There is huge accumulation of discarded tidbits of clothes in the river,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has maintained that the slums across the river stretch and not the residential buildings are discharging sewage illegally into the river. “We have found out that the adjoining slum areas and toilets in the vicinity have been releasing sewage into the river. We have put across the matter to senior officials. “ said V. Khandkar, chief engineer, Storm Water Drains (SWDs), BMC.