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How do we manage pollution at JUHU beach?

Abstract
Cities continuously face new challenges every day, exacerbated by unchecked urbanization and
growing population, an increasing cause of concern for the environment. The plastic pollution in
Juhu beach has culminated in massive loss of ecology and economy. This paper offers insights
into the challenges associated with overcoming the problems as well as the investment
requirements for solving the Juhu Beach pollution problem. The purpose of this paper is to identify
and investigate the environmental impacts of pollution in Juhu beach area and develop preventative
policy measures from theory and practice using a conceptual framework.

1. Introduction:
The inadequate waste collection and unscientific treatment and disposal of garbage dumps, has
often resulted in landfills generation (Joshi et al. 2016; Kumar et al. 2017). If the present scenario
of waste management persists, an estimated total of 88 square kilometers would be required to be
brought under waste disposal through landfilling by 2050, and the expected waste quantity would
be 436 million metric tonnes (MMT) per year, as per the reports submitted by ASSOCHAM and
PwC in 2017. Indian cities are facing backlashes in terms of an astounding level of governance
bottlenecks and multifaceted challenges in its solid waste management system, sewerage system.
The municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in India nears approximately 133760 tonnesper day,
of which only 25884 tonnes is actually treated (Kumar et al., 2017).

The sandy beaches of Juhu were severely impacted from the oil spill. Thick patches were seen
along the shoreline, with high density of tar balls in various area of beach. Oil soaked debris was
also seen accumulated in patches along the stretch of Juhu beache. The stretch of 5.80 km. was
severally affected due to spilled oil along the Juhu beach.
Figure 1: Impacted Areas Around Juhu Beach

Figure 2: Oil impacted sandy beach of Juhu

2. Theoretical Background
Pollution on the coastal areas (including beaches) become a major concern for many. Many
research has been done to draw the sources of marine pollution, its impact and off course its
possible solution and remedies for marine pollution control. The term Marine Pollution is defined
by WHO and Group of Experts on Scientific Aspects of Marine environmental Protection
(GESAMP) as "Pollution means introduction by man, directly or indirectly of substances or energy
into the marine environment (including estuaries) resulting in such deleterious effects as harm to
living resources, hazards to human health, hindrance to marine activities including fishing,
impairment of quality for use of seawater and reduction of amenities". In the definition it is clear
that people are responsible for the pollution into the marine environment through different means.
With the growth of population, recreational activities (beach enjoy as recreation but people dump
waste while enjoying), industrialization and others become a means for the production of marine
litter. Marine litter can be defined as “any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material
discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment. Marine litter consists
of items that have been made or used by people and deliberately discarded into the sea or rivers or
on beaches; brought indirectly to the sea with rivers, sewage, storm water or winds; accidentally
lost, including material lost at sea in bad weather (fishing gear, cargo); or deliberately left by
people on beaches and shores” (UNEP, 2005). European Commission in the similar way defined
marine litter as “any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of
or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment. Marine litter consists of items that have been
made or used by people and deliberately discarded or unintentionally lost into the sea and on
beaches, including such materials transported into the marine environment from land by rivers,
drainage or sewage systems or winds. For example, marine litter consists, wood, metals, glass,
rubber, clothing or paper, etc. This definition does not include semi-solids remains of for example
mineral and vegetable oils, paraffin and chemicals that sometimes litter sea and shores”
(ICES/European Commission). Both the definition importantly point out that marine litter has
more to do with the people who intentionally or unintentionally left or abandoned used materials
like plastics, paper, clothes etc. Thus, population growth and urbanization (nearby the coastal
areas) has much contribution to marine litter. It is therefore, Nandan, Yadav, Baksi and Bose
argued that “Over-population, Rapid industrialization (i.e. uncontrolled urbanization) and
improved living standards lead to increased rate of per capita waste generation” (Nandan, Yadav,
Baksi, & Bose, 2017). Generally “Categories are used to classify marine litter, based on source
and material, including plastics, glass, metal, timber, paper & cardboard and textiles. The majority
consists of synthetic materials such as plastic, and is often highly persistent in the marine
environment” (Potts & Hastings, 2012)

The sources of marine litter are generated both from land and sea based activities. According to
the Litter Base a Report by Alfred Wegener Institute has found highest quantity of microplastics
in Juhu beach in Mumbai and even among India. The study states that the most potent cause of
marine litter appears to be recreational beach use, fishing, and also religious activities involving
water bodies. And hence both land and sea based activities contributed pollution more on the Juhu
Beach. Though the disposal of waste on beach is not a new concept but disposal level has increased
such a high height that nature lost her ability to decompose. Potts and Hastings in their writing
also wrote “the disposal of waste at sea is not a new concept, but the ongoing shift towards more
durable materials including synthetics, has resulted in a rapid increase in residence time. The slow
decomposition rate of these materials within the marine environment has overall resulted in a litter
sink with a net accumulation” (Potts & Hastings, 2012)

Such huge marine litter on the coastal areas will have extensive impact on environment and human
being as well as to economy. “The problems and threats caused directly or indirectly by marine
litter are extensive, including environmental, social and economic impacts. Despite this our overall
understanding of these issues is limited, particularly the indirect and socio-economic effects”
(Potts & Hastings, 2012). While writing on economic impact they mentioned “Marine litter has a
substantial impact upon the economy. For several years policy makers and communities have
experienced the problem of marine litter on beaches, and waterways with direct and indirect
impacts, including a decline in the environmental quality of the coast as well as upon ecosystem
services. While economic costing of ecosystem services is considered a relatively new science, it
is clear that marine and coastal litter can impact and deteriorate a range of natural functions that
provide on-going social and economic benefits” (Potts & Hastings, 2012). Similarly, Gray also
pointed out that “Marine litter is a complex issue with significant implications for the marine and
coastal environment and human activities all over the world” (Gray, 1997). Gray however also
tried to draw the root cause of the marine litter. He argued that “it causes both cultural and multi-
sectoral, rooted in poor management practices, extensive use of marine resources, lack of
resources, lack of infrastructure, indiscriminate human activities and behaviors, and an inadequate
understanding on the part of the public of the potential consequences of their action” At present,
major perceived threats to marine biodiversity include the effects of climate change, ocean
acidification, invasive species, overfishing and extractive activities, pollution and marine debris,
habitat degradation, fragmentation and loss, human population explosion, and the impact of a wide
range of human activities in the coastal zones” (Gray, 1997).

India is not an exception country from the above discussion. As you know India has a long
coastline of more than 7500 km. India has three important marine resources which are spread over
the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. In these coastal zone you will find not only
people who visit for recreational and festival purpose but also demarcated ‘Exclusive Economic
Zone’ of the country which has an area of 2.02 million sq. km comprising 0.86 million sq km on
the west coast, 0.56 million sq km on the east coast and 0.6 million sq km around the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands. Major industrial cities and towns of the country such as Mumbai, Surat,
Kolkata are situated on or near the coastline. Such demographic change nearby the coastal areas
leading to Demographic pressure in the urban cities and towns as well as an increase in the
migration (sometimes for tourist purposes) and rapid industrialization, have resulted in the
production of enormous amounts of waste materials in the marine environment.

3. Pollution at Juhu Beach

The city of Bombay situated between lat. 18°55' and 19° 19'N and long. 72°47' and 72° 59'E has
grown from a group of islands, with extensive low lying areas, creeks and tidal swamps which are
rich in mangrove vegetation. One of the spectacular site of pollution in Mumbai can be seen on its
beaches. The discharge of untreated solid waste into the sea through its canal system tends to
accumulate waste on beaches impacting the health and aesthetic beauty of the area. The poor
management of waste in developing countries has resulted in considerable quantities of plastics
contaminating the beaches. “Plastics typically make up the major category in most litter surveys
in terms of both weight and number” (Takashi and Michio, 2003). According to DowntoEarth
report published on 3rd April 2017 “The highest quantity of micro-plastics was seen in Juhu beach
(55.33%) followed by Versova, Dadar and Aksa. Recreational and religious activities are major
contributing factors for the abundance of plastics in these beaches.” Another very prominent factor
contributing to pollution of seas and beaches is due to the immersion of idols during Ganesh
Chathurti festival, in 2016 the scenario was different at Juhu beach, as reported by a leading
newspaper that- “After 10-15 minutes of immersion, idols started coming back and were seen
floating on the sea’s surface. As per social media activists, the presence of waste plastic and rubber
items submerged in water by the localities at timely intervals could be reason of Ganesh ji’s refusal
to stay and dilute there.” The problem of solid and semi-solid waste on beaches aggravates during

Juhu Beach, Source: The Times of India

monsoon season which generally begins from mid May up till mid September. The extent of
problem can be understood by the Hindustan Times newspaper report that- “Every year May 25
onwards, we generally face this problem of more quantity of trash, mostly plastic, washing ashore.
This year, it has also been aggravated by high waves over the past two days,” said Prashant
Gaikwad, assistant municipal commissioner, he further adds that-“Ten truckloads of garbage was
removed throughout the day, amounting to 50,000 kg.” As a consequence, “plastics accumulate
on the beaches, reduce the aesthetic appeal as well as cause harm to wildlife which may either
ingest the plastic or become entangled in it” (Cadee, 2002). Due to the rising sea pollution, even
the sea creatures have been facing the brunt of it and in 2018 alone, 8 marine mammals have died
and swept to the shore, out of which there were 7 dolphins and one porpoise. Plastics takes longer
Whale Caracas, Source: The Indian Express.

time to decompose, “the longevity of plastics in the environment is variable and depends on the
physical and chemical properties of the polymer” (Barnes et al., 2009). “The dynamic environment
of many beaches leads to potential changes in plastic litter composition and quantity on a frequent
basis. Land-based sources in densely populated or industrialized areas” (Gregory, 1991) are major
inputs of plastic litter and are responsible for 70–80% of the plastics in the marine environment
(Sheavly, 2005). The number of beach visitors or usage of the beach and proximity to population
centre could be the other most important factors for the abundance and distribution of plastics on
Mumbai beaches. In May, the highest number of micro-plastics was observed at Juhu. The greatest

abundance of plastics by number was at Juhu (716.00 ± 126.51 m􏰁2). The high abundance in May

might be due to the increase of beach visitors and therefore, the high recreational activities during
summer holidays in Mumbai. High onshore wind speeds increase wave heights during monsoonal
months resulting in larger wrack lines that can trap greater quantities of debris, the debris consisted
mostly of consumer and household related materials due to the high rate of plastic consumption in
South Asian countries as they are cheaply available (H.B. Jayari, 2013).
The recent development related to impact on ecosystem has been that the “The risk of
magnification of micro-plastics (<5 mm) and their impacts on the marine ecosystem received more
attention” (Endo et al., 2005) recently, although size fractions are not normally distinguished in
the majority of reports dealing with marine debris, probably due to sampling difficulties associated
with large-scale surveys (Moore, 2008) “These microplastics (pre-production pellets and post-
production fragments) enter the marine environment through direct introduction with runoff and
weathering of large plastics” (Andrady, 2011). Their sources, fate and further environmental
consequences are poorly understood (Sheavly and Register, 2007) “It is not possible to obtain

reliable estimates of the quantity of plastic debris that reaches the marine environment, but the
quantities are nevertheless quite substantial. The accumulation of both macro and micro-plastics
has consistently increased on shores and in sediments, respectively, for the last four decades”
(Thompson et al., 2004; Barnes, 2005). Beach visitors, coastal inhabitants and recreational
activities are the major factors for plastic pollution in beaches in developing countries due to their
littering behaviour and high usage of plastics. In this connection, Juhu beach represents an area
with high beach usage when com- pared to the other beaches as it is easily accessed from an
adjacent road. Barnes (2005) reported that the abundance correlates very strongly with human
population.
4. Towards Solution for controlling Pollution at Juhu Beach
There can be various solution for managing the pollution at Juhu Beach. However, sustainable and
effective approach for long lasting need to place. It will not only keep the Juhu beach neat and
clean but will become role model to manage even other beaches. Based on the situation at Juhu
beach we formulated four approaches to tackle pollution. These approaches are market based,
Community based, Policy and sustainable based.
a. Market-based solutions
The ‘tragedy of commons’ occurring at the Juhu beach presents a variety of challenges in
managing the level of pollution and environmental degradation. The beach is considered a
‘commons’ as it is freely available for use and do not face any natural restriction, which also leads
to lack of accountability and ‘overconsumption’. Moreover, the presence of negative externalities can
lead the market to overestimate the value of a good or activity. The ‘commons’ problem was first
identified by Hardin (1968) in his seminal paper ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’. However, the
tragedy can be reversed. The following is a summary of market-based instruments prepared by
Allen Consulting Group (2006).
The conventional ways to manage pollution has often failed to yield any fruit. The
significance of market-based tools in combating the menace of pollution has been recognized at
recent times (Vince and Hardesty, 2018). Firstly, the deposit-refund schemes or the contained
deposit legislation (CDL) has been very effective in curbing the land-based waste (Schuyler et al,
2018). Further, direct provisions such as levies on plastic bags or taxes on disposal has been
instrumental in disincentivizing the polluters. A 1977 study by the Institute of Applied Research
suggests that educational and public involvement combined with citations and fines can potentially
reduce 40-50% of the litters in six of the US cities (Moore and Scott, 1983). The local municipal
bodies can harness environmental benefits by enacting ‘polluters pay principle’ or ‘congestors pay
principle’. ‘The polluters pay principle’ suggests the identification of polluters and fining them
with tax in the form of an ‘emission fee’ or an ‘excise tax’. Secondly, the imposition of user charges
by the municipal bodies can not only provide an excellent revenue base for financing local
activities, but also keep environmental degradation in check (Chauhan & Yadav, 2018). The
imposition of demolition charges and storm water drainage charges by Greater Hyderabad
Municipal Corporation (GHMC) demonstrates the befitting application of ‘polluters pay principle’
(Mohanty, 2003). Thirdly, the “command and control” measures such as bans can be useful in
arresting the plastic pollution. Maharashtra in March, 2018 has banned use of all kinds of single-
use plastics and mandated the use of PET bottles while envisioning a ‘buy back depository
mechanism’ (Kaur, 2019). Lastly, it is imperative to charge parking fees, waterfront charges and
other sources of revenue generation in order to finance the beach clean-up activity.
b. Community-based measures
Community-based intervention can be an important tool to manage the marine pollution at Juhu
Beach. Such community intervention not only help in monitoring the waste generation and cleanup
but also significantly influence in governance solution. Let us examine a case of Versova where
the resident plays an important role in keeping the beach clean.
In 2015, Versova Resident Volunteers (VRV) group has successfully cleared five million
kilograms (5,000 metric tons) of trash from Versova beach alone. This form of beach cleanup
although a significant first step but is a temporary solution. The long-term solution requires
adherence to the Elinor Ostrum’s self-governance structure, where solutions are brought in by the
local people and the monitoring is done by the locals and the defaulters are dealt with gradual
sanctions (Ostrum, 1990). Dietz et al (2003) have argued that the Hardin’s ‘tragedy of commons’
can be overturned by developing and maintaining self-governing institutions. However, the
success of governance pre-supposes certain conditions that must be met such as (a) monitoring
costs of resource use is low, (b) the rates of change in resource, resource-user populations,
technology and economic and social conditions are moderate, (c) face-to-face communication of
the community members, (d) easy exclusion of outsiders, (e) effective monitoring and rule
enforcement (Dietz et al, 2003).
Its not like, there is no community-based initiative even at Juhu Beach. Individual and even group
come together to clean the beach. Several activists even raised and wrote to government for
intervention. However, challenges need to be considered and community based intervention need
to integrate with the market based instrument as well. There should be incentives for such activities
like in Scotland where the government award people and community every year for such initiative
to both individual and group.

c. Urban Environmental Governance and Planning

With the growing concern for environmental sustainability, the responsibilities of urban governing
bodies increase manifold almost as a reflex. The conventional methods of ruling the cities and
towns fail in the presence of multifarious environmental and urban issues at hand. The urban local
bodes (ULBs) fail to perform efficiently towards financing various urban services, owing to its
poor revenue base and resource constraints and dependency on central government for financial
transfers. They are often incapacitated to function as independent bodies, resulting in poor
implementation of various landmark schemes and regulations. There is need for a greater policy
harmonization and coordination across various channels of the government and formulation of a
bottom-up master plan.

The well-being of the future generation is highly correlated with the decisions taken in the present.
This notion is intrinsically linked with the broader concept of ‘sustainable development’. The
report released by Brundtland Commission defines sustainable development as the ―development
that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs” (Brundtland Commission, 1987).

Source: A holistic governance approach to the reduction of plastic marine litter (Vince & Hardesty,
2018)

5. Conclusion

Juhu Beach which is one of the highest polluted beaches certainly need proactive attention from
all the stakeholders and individuals to make it environment friendly and sustainable. As mentioned
above, the major sources of Juhu beach pollution or marine litter due to the people who come for
recreational purpose and festival. Other than these, failure of government institutions/ urban local
bodies for proper formulation to keep the beach clean regularly not because these institutions has
lack of fund but because of lack of will. Cleaning the beach once or twice in a year won’t solve
the problem. The approach to keep the beach clean strongly need two strategies. The first strategy
should be to clean the beach in proper timing and the second strategy should aim in minimizing
the waste generation at the beach.

To fulfill these two strategies, we believe that the above mentioned (part-4) approaches will able
to control and manage the pollution at minimum level. The market based approach will provide a
kind sense of value and if it can create a sense of value waste control will take the shape
automatically, participation of local people, visitors and others will create awareness. Besides these
the innovative institution approach will be helpful for effective and proper implementation.

In the paper market based instrument, community based intervention and governance for
sustainable approach has been suggested as ways to control and mange pollution at Juhu beach.
These three instrument might not work properly in isolation and need to take all in consideration
for proper function in governance and programme implementation.

However, the paper is not based on field study and pilot survey so the suggestion and approaches
provided need practical observation through pilot survey to know whether it will be really effective
or not in Juhu beach context.

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