On April 20, 2024, the Jallosh Clean Coasts initiative of Project Mumbai organized its monthly beach cleanup drive in collaboration with a Multinational Financial Services Company and WWF. The cleanup drive was conducted at several beaches in Mumbai, including Erangal, Juhu Koliwada, Powai, and Prabhadevi Beach. The primary aim of the initiative was to combat pollution and preserve marine life.

The volunteers were divided into teams and worked tirelessly to remove plastic trash from the shores. Their dedication was remarkable, with over 500 volunteers investing over 1300 hours collectively in the cleanup effort. Together, they successfully collected a whopping 2500 kilograms of plastic waste from the sea.

Additionally, more than 100 children participated in the beach cleanup and helped in cleaning the shore.

Scores of children, as young as a five year old to 14 year olds, joined hundreds others to celebrate EARTH DAY–by joining hands at a massive beach clean up organised by NGO Project Mumbai , as part of their Jallosh–Protecting Mumbai’s Water bodies on Saturday.

Children travel distant suburbs but many were at the venue before sunrise and braved the scorching summer heat picking plastic waste, deeply embedded in the Juhu beach sands.

Nearly 700 kgs of plastic waste was collected by the young eco warriors, all of them accompanied by teachers or elder siblings or parents. Many sporting school uniforms and some, ready to dash off to Saturday school after the clean up got completed.The plastic waste will get recycled by NGO Project Mumbai into amenities like benches, pots, etc. At the end of the beach clean up, participating children were gifted with pencil boxes and pens made from recycled plastic. 

For Fatima, an environment expert  originally from  Dhaka, Bangladesh and in Mumbai with her family,   but in Mumbai with her family,  it was a dream come true. “We never imagined we would get to Mumbai and be part of an environmental celebration. We thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt what it takes to volunteer for a city and a cause”, said Fatema, who was joined by her excited six year old daughter,

This is the first of its kind massive beach clean up for children that has been hosted by Project Mumbai through its initiative Jallosh, which is already in the Limca Book of Records for the largest citizen led sustainability initiative.

This Jallosh initiative highlights the power of community action in keeping Mumbai’s beaches clean and safe.