BMC proposes ₹1.79 crore steel-net barrier along Vakola River

Ten-foot-high steel nets could be installed along the Vakola River’s retaining wall near the Dnyaneshwar slum settlement, under a ₹1.79 crore BMC proposal aimed at keeping dumped waste out of the waterway.

The civic body’s Storm Water Drains Department has placed the proposal before the Standing Committee for approval. The intervention follows directions from MLA Varun Sardesai and repeated complaints about garbage floating in the river, which is also referred to as the Vakola nullah.

The barrier is meant to prevent residents from throwing solid waste directly into the waterway, including bulky items such as furniture, cupboards and sofas. BMC has used comparable steel nets at other vulnerable nullahs near slums and chawls since a pilot at P T Colony in Bandra West in December 2023.

Civic officials said nets installed at Main Avenue Nullah and South Avenue Nullah reduced garbage dumping. Mumbai has 309 major and 1,508 minor nullahs, making the upkeep of waterways a continuing civic task. The Vakola proposal now awaits the committee’s decision.