BMC to Install 10-Foot Steel Nets Along Vakola Nullah to Stop Dumping
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to install 10-foot-high steel nets along a stretch of the Vakola nullah near Bandra to prevent garbage dumping into the waterway. The project, estimated at a cost of Rs 1.79 crore, follows a proposal submitted to the Standing Committee for formal approval at its Wednesday meeting.
The initiative comes after the civic body received repeated complaints regarding floating waste choking the river. The Vakola River, which runs adjoining the Dnyaneshwar slum settlement, has suffered heavy pollution from indiscriminate waste disposal, with the channel increasingly resembling an open drain.
Following directions issued by MLA Varun Sardesai, the BMC's Storm Water Drains (SWD) Department was instructed to set up the garbage-trapping net along the retaining wall of the Vakola River. The measure is intended to create a physical barrier that prevents solid waste from being cast directly into the water from adjacent settlements.
Civic authorities are also using the barrier to curb the dumping of bulky household waste, such as sofas, cupboards, and discarded furniture, which are often thrown into nullahs near slum belts. Similar nets previously erected at Main Avenue Nullah and South Avenue Nullah have led to a significant reduction in waste dumping, encouraging officials to apply the same solution at Vakola.
The BMC first piloted the installation of steel nets at the P&T Colony in Bandra West in December 2023. After observing positive results from that initial installation, the SWD Department broadened the program over the past two years to cover several other vulnerable nullahs located close to chawls and slums.
Maintaining clear drainage channels remains a persistent challenge across the city, where the municipal corporation manages 309 major and 1,508 minor nullahs. The planned steel nets along the Vakola River represent the latest effort to keep Mumbai's water channels clear and reduce blockages caused by solid waste.
