The Mahim beach (from Hinduja Hospital to Mahim Dargah lane) as it stands today, is a grim reminder of the dismal state of our oceans. It is however, far removed from the image we saw a year ago (we launched on Sept. 9th, ’17) when it resembled a dump, buried under three feet of plastic and other toxic waste.

      

Our pursuit over the past one year to restore this beautiful stretch has been bitter-sweet. For one, it has acquainted us with the ugly truth of our environment. It has also brought closer, citizens who believe in a common environmental cause.  We have consistently conducted the drive every weekend (two hours on Saturday and Sunday) -regardless of the scorching sun or lashing rains and helped weed out over 7,00,000 kilos of deep-rooted waste. It has been challenging and gratifying at the same time, to mobilize efforts of the local bodies. Our efforts also included raising awareness about the ill-effects of plastic in the neighboring fishing villages. And while the volunteer participation has taken turns to soar and dwindle, the movement has persevered at a consistent pace and even been felicitated by the UN Environment.
 
       

      

We have thus far, funded the drive solely on our own – 10 per cent of our annual earnings has been directed towards the cleaning. But the scale of the urban garbage problem at the end of the day, is massive and recurring, and hence calls for a more systematic, consolidated and large-scale solution. It is with this resolve in mind that the #MahimBeachCleanUp, for the first time since its launch last year, welcomes financial aid through crowd-funding.

    

   

 

On September 29th 2018, we wish to celebrate our year-long journey with a massive clean-up drive! This will be followed by some unplugged music and art on the beach, curated by Open Door fest, which will be free for all. We believe in cleaning our public spaces before claiming them and wish to lead by example. You’re all welcome to join!The money that we raise through this platform will be directed towards:

• Effective recycling solutions that will reduce the strain on our abused landfills.
• Purchase of cleaning equipment such as rakes, re-usable gloves for volunteers, renting of excavators, basic hygiene essentials for on-ground cleaning helpers
• Cleaning and white-washing the walls on the beach and those that line the approach path
• To provide basic sanitation material at the beach and create sign boards that discourage open defecation and littering.

     

The #MahimBeachCleanUp has been a citizen movement through and through, and we hope that the spirit of our volunteers and well-wishers continues to fuel our vision and efforts. No contribution is small and every Rupee counts. We’d love nothing more than to welcome more volunteers to the movement, but for those who can’t be there physically, this is a valuable way to associate with the effort. Either way, we appreciate your support.                                                                              
                                                                     - Rabia Tewari and Indranil Sengupta


     
         
       
#MahimBeachCleanUp Press Mentions:

https://thelogicalindian.com/exclusive/mumbai-couple-mahim-beach-cleanup/
https://www.thebetterindia.com/154995/garbage-mumbai-couple-mahim-beach-news/
https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/mumbai-couple-mahim-beach-clean-up-23742/
https://www.inuth.com/india/fedup-of-a-filthy-beach-in-mumbai-this-couple-started-cleaning-it/?utm_source=FBIN_Mumbai&utm_medium=Social
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/sniffing-a-win-in-battle-for-mahim-beach/article23875664.ece
https://www.bbc.com/marathi/india-44365673
https://www.bbc.com/hindi/bbc_hindi_tv/tv_programmes/w13xttlw