Indias "Garbage Beach"

GTO · 14th July 2005, 18:32

Credit for the entire story and pictures goes to my best friend - Nikhil Shimpi. He can be reached on nikhilshimpi@hotmail.com

One thinks of a beach, and some typical images come to mind, waves lashing the shore, children building castles in the sand, people getting some sun or just looking at the wide expanse of the ocean and onto the beautiful horizon beyond.

Well, there is one beach where all these experiences were a reality not too long ago. The Shivaji Park Beach in central Mumbai used to be a hub of activity and a welcome gateway for one and all.

Merry-Go-Rounds and Chatwallas adorned the sands attracting the bustling crowd to their fare.

But today all that is a distant memory and seems too much to dream about. All that adorns the shores of this beach today is garbage, filth, plastic bags, dead carcasses, rubbish and more. A perfect hotbed for disease and contamination.

The beach has been subjected to succesive years of abuse due to :

1) Reclamation on the Mahim side for The Worli Bandra Sea Link Project due to which the beach is half the size it used to be.
2) Yearly road ramps which are built with stones but never dismantled for the Ganpati and Durga Visarjans. and most importantly lately due to neglect from the BMC and other authorities responsible for its cleanliness, the beach has a unique distinction to be called The WORLD'S FIRST GARBAGE BEACH.

It is ironic and a pity that at a time where some politicians (including the State's Chief Minister) are dreaming about a Shanghai like skyline for Mumbai, and Malls and Multiplexes are mushrooming in the now defunct Mill lands by the dozen every week, these simple pleasure in life are totally ignored and forgotten. I have attached some pictures which best describe the situation.

GTO

Stratos · 14th July 2005, 18:52

I had just been to a buiding which is at the corner of this beach and I was actually shocked to see that.

manaa45 · 14th July 2005, 19:26

i totally agree and i remember the days when i used to visit the beach with my hubby who was then my bf way back in 1997. it was serene.

my experience was worst because We was giving my Foreign client from Japan a tour of Mumbai city and when going towards bandra we stopped by at shivaji park i could not beleive what my eyes saw. it was exactly what we see on the pictures below and i was disheartened that i could not show him what was once a beautiful beach. we proceeded towards bandra sea link without showing our customer the dirty beach and i was glad i dint.

i hope these BMC ppl do something about it as only drastic measures tht can change the way the beach is now. Mr PRAMOD NAVALKAR r u listening?????

Shubbhi

speedsatya · 14th July 2005, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by manaa45

i . Mr PRAMOD NAVALKAR r u listening?????

Shubbhi

now he is not in power .you have to tell someone else

Revvhead · 14th July 2005, 20:12

Its really Sad, when i was a kiddo, my grandfather use to take us there, My cousins and me used to build sandcastles and the like on that beach.
When i went there a few years ago, i was horrified to see that the beach had got eroded and just disappeared.
the beachfront houses ther were beautiful - and i mean even the flats. one of my Cousin's cousin had a flat there and if you jumped out his baclony, you were on the beach.
Now the sea is hitting the balconies and eroring the houses.

howeverm this has happened even before the Sealink was in full swing.
Its really Sad

Steeroid · 15th July 2005, 01:47

I've played on that beach as a small kid when we lived in Dadar eons back...still have memories of those days. Thanks for the warning - I wont be going there to renew those memories so that whats in the mind stays intact...

X-Machine · 15th July 2005, 02:10

Its really sad to see our city being treated this way.Even the other beaches like Juhu and Chowpatty are full of stalls,garbage etc.There's no way one can call it a 'beach'.

X

hawkeye · 15th July 2005, 04:39

Another one small beach area that's in similar condition to this one is near the Tata Press Lane, Prabhadevi. I guess what people staying in locations nearby must be experiencing.

Talking about Mumbai becoming anything like Shanghai, lets keep it a remote thought for the time being. Don't know how is that going to be planned & implemented.

Aditya · 15th July 2005, 15:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkeye

Another one small beach area that's in similar condition to this one is near the Tata Press Lane, Prabhadevi. I guess what people staying in locations nearby must be experiencing.

Tell me about it man! The Prabhadevi Residents Association is trying hard to beautify the place, but there are some problems which are seemingly impossible to solve. Certain people have vested interests.

falcon · 15th July 2005, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Machine

Even the other beaches like Juhu and Chowpatty are full of stalls,garbage etc.

Juhu beach is much better than it used to be! I don't think it was ever as bad as the pictures of Shivaji Park Beach, but thanks to the daily cleaning being done in the mornings, it is pretty clean.

EVO6 · 15th July 2005, 18:16

You guys talking about Mumbai beaches ..
Man all the beaches in India are in almost the same state .. If the beaches are clean... then the water is so dirty that one thinks of whether to get in or not ... Fear of getting some skin rashes ...
I remember going to Goa as a kid (in 1984) ... The water was clean that i actually fetched myself a sea shell which i cud see from above in almost 4 feet deep water ...
The next time i went to Goa with friend in 1993 ... Yikes

... I didnt even wanna get into the water and i am talking about the Taj Resort Beach or Even Vagator beach for that matter which are supposedly the cleanest ...
When will we Indians learn to respect nature and its beauty...?

Surprise · 18th July 2005, 11:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by EVO6

Man all the beaches in India are in almost the same state .. If the beaches are clean... then the water is so dirty that one thinks of whether to get in or not ... Fear of getting some skin rashes ...

I don't think this is the case in Chennai as far as I know. If you take Nelangari beach on East Coast Road, you can take your food sitting in the sands and enjoying the beach view. ( hope things have not changed drastically in 6 months before which I visited the beach)

Revvhead · 18th July 2005, 11:47

well i am on Juhu beach every Sat & Sun morning - my friends & me play football there.
I must say they do work really hard at keeping it clean,
But come sunday morning, the beach is a disaster coz of all the crowd on Sat evening who throw all the f'in garbage in the world there!!
Damn shame- we are very careful to take all the water bottles that we bring away with us
as you need wuite a bit for 22 odd guys!!!

paharino1 · 19th July 2005, 21:23

Dudes - Comparing Mumbai to Shanghai is a dream at best !!

I've stayed in Shanghai for 6 months & it's way way ahead..

The experience of the Harbour Line from Andheri is another Out of the world experience though....Can't imagine a better example of " living on the edge" for the jhuggies near the Railway tracks

EVO6 · 20th July 2005, 00:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by paharino1

Dudes - Comparing Mumbai to Shanghai is a dream at best !!

I've stayed in Shanghai for 6 months & it's way way ahead..

The experience of the Harbour Line from Andheri is another Out of the world experience though....Can't imagine a better example of " living on the edge" for the jhuggies near the Railway tracks

Well dudeeeeeeee !!!
Where does Shanghai come in the middle of this thread ... Its about Indian beaches and not infrastructure comparision between India and China ..

14th July 2005, 18:32	#1
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,501 Thanked: 300,621 Times View My Garage	Indias "Garbage Beach" Credit for the entire story and pictures goes to my best friend - Nikhil Shimpi. He can be reached on nikhilshimpi@hotmail.com One thinks of a beach, and some typical images come to mind, waves lashing the shore, children building castles in the sand, people getting some sun or just looking at the wide expanse of the ocean and onto the beautiful horizon beyond. Well, there is one beach where all these experiences were a reality not too long ago. The Shivaji Park Beach in central Mumbai used to be a hub of activity and a welcome gateway for one and all. Merry-Go-Rounds and Chatwallas adorned the sands attracting the bustling crowd to their fare. But today all that is a distant memory and seems too much to dream about. All that adorns the shores of this beach today is garbage, filth, plastic bags, dead carcasses, rubbish and more. A perfect hotbed for disease and contamination. The beach has been subjected to succesive years of abuse due to : 1) Reclamation on the Mahim side for The Worli Bandra Sea Link Project due to which the beach is half the size it used to be. 2) Yearly road ramps which are built with stones but never dismantled for the Ganpati and Durga Visarjans. and most importantly lately due to neglect from the BMC and other authorities responsible for its cleanliness, the beach has a unique distinction to be called The WORLD'S FIRST GARBAGE BEACH. It is ironic and a pity that at a time where some politicians (including the State's Chief Minister) are dreaming about a Shanghai like skyline for Mumbai, and Malls and Multiplexes are mushrooming in the now defunct Mill lands by the dozen every week, these simple pleasure in life are totally ignored and forgotten. I have attached some pictures which best describe the situation. GTO
	() Thanks

14th July 2005, 18:52	#2
Stratos Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,609 Thanked: 1,449 Times View My Garage	I had just been to a buiding which is at the corner of this beach and I was actually shocked to see that.
	() Thanks

14th July 2005, 19:26	#3
manaa45 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: nerul, navi mum Posts: 357 Thanked: 49 Times	i totally agree and i remember the days when i used to visit the beach with my hubby who was then my bf way back in 1997. it was serene. my experience was worst because We was giving my Foreign client from Japan a tour of Mumbai city and when going towards bandra we stopped by at shivaji park i could not beleive what my eyes saw. it was exactly what we see on the pictures below and i was disheartened that i could not show him what was once a beautiful beach. we proceeded towards bandra sea link without showing our customer the dirty beach and i was glad i dint. i hope these BMC ppl do something about it as only drastic measures tht can change the way the beach is now. Mr PRAMOD NAVALKAR r u listening????? Shubbhi
	() Thanks

14th July 2005, 20:12	#5
Revvhead BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 450 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Its really Sad, when i was a kiddo, my grandfather use to take us there, My cousins and me used to build sandcastles and the like on that beach. When i went there a few years ago, i was horrified to see that the beach had got eroded and just disappeared. the beachfront houses ther were beautiful - and i mean even the flats. one of my Cousin's cousin had a flat there and if you jumped out his baclony, you were on the beach. Now the sea is hitting the balconies and eroring the houses. howeverm this has happened even before the Sealink was in full swing. Its really Sad
	() Thanks

15th July 2005, 01:47	#6
Steeroid Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A Posts: 7,046 Thanked: 2,751 Times	I've played on that beach as a small kid when we lived in Dadar eons back...still have memories of those days. Thanks for the warning - I wont be going there to renew those memories so that whats in the mind stays intact...
	() Thanks

15th July 2005, 02:10	#7
X-Machine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mumbai/Tokyo Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 29 Times	Its really sad to see our city being treated this way.Even the other beaches like Juhu and Chowpatty are full of stalls,garbage etc.There's no way one can call it a 'beach'. X
	() Thanks

15th July 2005, 04:39	#8
hawkeye BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 190 Thanked: 12 Times View My Garage	Another one small beach area that's in similar condition to this one is near the Tata Press Lane, Prabhadevi. I guess what people staying in locations nearby must be experiencing. Talking about Mumbai becoming anything like Shanghai, lets keep it a remote thought for the time being. Don't know how is that going to be planned & implemented.
	() Thanks

15th July 2005, 18:16	#11
EVO6 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 488 Thanked: 11 Times	You guys talking about Mumbai beaches .. Man all the beaches in India are in almost the same state .. If the beaches are clean... then the water is so dirty that one thinks of whether to get in or not ... Fear of getting some skin rashes ... I remember going to Goa as a kid (in 1984) ... The water was clean that i actually fetched myself a sea shell which i cud see from above in almost 4 feet deep water ... The next time i went to Goa with friend in 1993 ... Yikes ... I didnt even wanna get into the water and i am talking about the Taj Resort Beach or Even Vagator beach for that matter which are supposedly the cleanest ... When will we Indians learn to respect nature and its beauty...?
	() Thanks

18th July 2005, 11:47	#13
Revvhead BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 450 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	well i am on Juhu beach every Sat & Sun morning - my friends & me play football there. I must say they do work really hard at keeping it clean, But come sunday morning, the beach is a disaster coz of all the crowd on Sat evening who throw all the f'in garbage in the world there!! Damn shame- we are very careful to take all the water bottles that we bring away with us as you need wuite a bit for 22 odd guys!!!
	() Thanks

19th July 2005, 21:23	#14
paharino1 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hyderabad, India Posts: 299 Thanked: 29 Times	Dudes - Comparing Mumbai to Shanghai is a dream at best !! I've stayed in Shanghai for 6 months & it's way way ahead.. The experience of the Harbour Line from Andheri is another Out of the world experience though....Can't imagine a better example of " living on the edge" for the jhuggies near the Railway tracks
	() Thanks