What is the scale of non-biodegradable waste entering the sea? It's a massive and a very serious problem that has been completely neglected. Today more than 30 per cent of the waste generated is dumped into the nullahs, rivers and drains, which ends up as marine litter, causing irreversible damage to not only marine species but also mangroves and the sea. What is your petition in NGT about and what are your pleas? We were tired of seeing a completely lackadaisical approach by the authorities in dealing with marine pollution, which is caused by solid and liquid waste directly released into the creek. So we decided to approach the NGT. Our plea includes stopping of all sewage entering the sea including solid waste. We have demanded that nets be installed in sewage, storm water and discharge drains to catch the solid waste, as well as total implementation of the Maharashtra Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 2006. Do you think beach clean-up drives are aviable solution? Beach clean-ups in Mumbai have helped create a lot of awareness and in bringing the community together to highlight the issue of marine litter. But it is not a long -term solution. It's simply a temporary solution to a continuous problem. Much more effort needs to be put in towards reducing the litter itself. Your petition has suggested that nets be placed but BMC is favouring trash boom technology. A trash boom, which is a floating debris barrier to collect trash from the surface if water bodies, can work for floating material but what about the heavier garbage? In Mumbai, most of the trash is collected, put in a plastic bag, and then thrown in a nullah, where it sinks as its heavy. Nets will take care of all kinds of waste, be it floating or weighty. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has also agreed to this solution in its affidavit submitted to NGT, and asked the BMC to try it. Every monsoon, the city's coast witnesses a huge amount of garbage. How much of the blame do Mumbaikars share? A massive part of the blame. In the end, it's the garbage we have dumped irresponsibly that is coming back to us. As citizens, we need to take ownership of the city, not treat it as a wayside stop where we work. We have to stop littering. We have to manage our waste. The state did us a favour by banning single-use plastic. Nobody was willing to give it up despite knowing its harmful effects. The civic body comes next. It has to plan for securing the environment and take quick effective steps to manage this problem, which will only grow on to become a monster.

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