Mumbai, Aug. 23 -- The Mahim beach on Friday resembled a dumping ground, with garbage brought in by the sea strewn across its expanse and piled up in layers at multiple spots, especially near the Reti bunder, where the Mithi river joins the Arabian Sea. "The same story is repeated every year," said Malhar Kaalambe, a member of the nonprofit Beach Please, which has been undertaking cleanliness drives at the beach since 2018. Beach Please is among several organisations including the Dargah Street ALM (advanced locality management) that have been cleaning the Mahim beach after the monsoon for years. Most people mistake the Mithi for a drain and dump garbage into the river, which makes its way to the sea during the monsoon, Kaalambe said. During high tide, the sea deposits the garbage back onto the beach, all the way from Hinduja Hospital to Reti Bunder, he added. "The garbage piles up in several layers and it takes nearly six months for us to clean it manually," Kaalambe told HT. Dargah Street ALM founder Anwar Khan said though contractors appointed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are assigned the task of cleaning the beach, they never clean the stretch where the Mithi meets the sea. Garbage piles up on all beaches in the city during the monsoon, said Kaalambe. "But the situation at Mahim beach is significantly worse and we have to show the designated contractors the areas that need to be cleaned," he said. Even contracts were issued in piecemeal manner, Khan claimed. "The cleaning is handled by one contractor while transportation of the garbage is held by another. They never seem to come together, so we have to make efforts to ensure that they do," said Khan. Organisations engaged in cleaning the beach said they get support from volunteers, especially during weekends when about 50-100 people turn up. "More people join us for beach cleanup during the Ganpati festival - maybe out of goodwill or maybe because they know that garbage piles up during the monsoon," said Kaalambe....