Clean up my city

Pollution, environmental degradation hurts city youth; they demand corrective measures before it's too late

Activists and government authorities, dusty roads, hazardous air particles, and plastic and bio-medical waste carelessly abandoned on the streets — Mumbai has become synonymous with pollution. This worries Generation Next. "Our heart bleeds for Mumbai," was the message from the youth in a survey conducted by DNA and IMRS.
And, they are willing to work hard to save the city. The survey of youngsters, aged 15-22, revealed 41% want a pollution-free Mumbai. While 78% said they planted saplings at home, 88% boys and 84% girls said they throw waste only in dustbins.
"The air quality is so bad that if I don't hold a handkerchief to my nose on the road, I end up coughing uncontrollably," Kunal Chheda, a CA student from Vile Parle, said. "Mumbai generates the most e-waste in the country at around 23,000 tonnes, but disposal has been disorganised so far," Radheshyam Mopalwar, member secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), said.
Environmentalist Sanjay Monga said, "We need to tackle the problem from the root. For instance, instead of thinking about different ways of garbage disposal, we need to look at controlling waste."
Though the government and NGOs have started awareness campaigns, issues like heavy metal pollution are rarely looked into, the youth said. "I would want to know how much mercury there is in the fish I eat. I have never seen any public service advertisement or pamphlet talking about this issue," said Jarvis D'Souza, a maritime student from Borivli. "Heavy metals have been detected in air pollution studies conducted by the MPCB and Awaaz Foundation in 2006 and 2008. In 2006, IIT-Bombay studied water bodies in Mumbai and detected large quantities of heavy metals in them."
Noise pollution also irritates today's generation. "During Navratri last year, the noise levels in my area were so high that I suffered temporary deafness for two days," Deepal Parmar, a student of Andheri's Bhavan's College, said.
Studies show that the noise pollution levels on Mumbai roads are 80-90 decibels (dB) during peak hours — nearly the equivalent of standing 15 feet from a passing freight train. The noise from autorickshaws reaches close to 100dB.
The youth demand corrective measures before it is too late. "Is Earth ka kuch karo, varna unearth ho jayega," students of the JJ School of Arts scribbled on the walls of Tulsi Pipe Road recently.
They have spoken up. But is anyone listening?