Mumbai, April 12 -- The BMC has decided to fence the city's drains in order to prevent garbage from entering the stormwater drains. Mumbai's flooding issues have been aggravated by citizens, largely residing in slums, disposing of garbage in the drain network. "The fencing could be wire mesh about eight feet high with a bend of one foot to prevent citizens from throwing garbage into the drains," explained additional municipal commissioner (projects) Abhijit Bangar. Mumbai has a network of 274 kilometres of major nallas and 673 km of minor nallas, most of which are lined by slums along their retaining walls. Bangar said that since it was just wire meshing, the task could be completed in two months before the onset of the monsoon. This initiative was decided on during the recent visit of municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide to the Dadar-Dharavi drain, where the issue of garbage floating in the drains is particularly bad. Officials flagged this issue at the Dadar-Dharavi drain site and highlighted how floating debris thrown in by local residents escalates into a major problem. Bhide accordingly directed officials to install protective fencing over drains in all city areas where the dumping of waste persists. The Environment Status Report 2023-24 pointed out how the city's stormwater drains "become an eyesore due to throwing of garbage by citizens, especially in slum areas, and create unhygienic conditions". The BMC improved the garbage collection network for slum dwellers along the drains but that failed to effectively resolve the issue of garbage being thrown into them. The civic body also installed floating waste barriers known as trash booms, along the mouth of the water bodies to prevent garbage from entering the sea. These barriers, made of heavy-duty plastic or metal, trap floating debris before it flows downstream, and have already been set up in locations such as Andheri, Gorai and Malad. Meanwhile, the BMC has also decided to repair and close the gaps in the retaining walls of the Dadar-Dharavi drain. Stalin D, director of the not-for-profit environmental organisation Vanashakti, said that the initiative would not protect the drains from citizens "who are champions when it comes to chucking garbage into drains and rivers". "People in slums throw garbage into the drains because there is no door-to-door waste collection system in place," he said. "They will throw it over the railings and fencing," he added. Stalin added that while fencing or barricading were welcome, the priority should be to install nets inside the drains to trap the trash and prevent it from going into the creek or sea....