Mumbaikars mark 90th week of cleanup at Dadar Beach

It was a big moment for the city’s beach warriors at Dadar. On Mother’s Day, they gave their own tribute to Mother Nature by completing 90th weeks of a

cleanup

on the sands there. The group comprising 45 volunteers – with

college students

, home makers and others as well as a corporator from Lalbaug, Anil Kokil, were present. They were led by

Chinu Jeet Kwatra

.

‘It was a proud moment for us’

The cleanup began at 9 am sharp and by the end of it, the group had picked up three to four tonnes of trash. Says Chinu, “Our warriors picked up sand and

trash

and this time, we were also cleaning

sewage

, which opens up on the beach.” Their aim was to clean the drains so as to prevent flooding in the

monsoons

.

Chinu says the efforts to restore the 2.5-km sandy stretch back to its original state began a few years ago. “We started beach

cleaning

here on Sept 3, 2017. To date we have also completed 342 cleanups across Cuffe Parade, Bandra, Malad, Juhu, Dadar, Worli (Fort) and Gorai, 90 weeks. It was definitely a proud moment for us. We are waiting for the 100th week now, which will be a really grand milestone.”

While the Beach Warriors are doing their best, more awareness and participation is needed. He adds, “I just hope that there is more support, even from corporates, so that we can reach the 100th week. We need more machinery – excavators, plus a tractor trucks and tempo, as there is a lot of garbage has to be removed from the sand. We also need more

Mumbaikars

to come forward and help us.”