BMC installs AI camera with loudspeaker near Gajanan Vatika in Mahim to stop littering

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has installed AI-enabled surveillance cameras in Mahim to stop people from dumping garbage in the open. The pilot project has begun in the Gajanan Vatika area of Mahim. The camera also has a loudspeaker.

The camera has been put up on Dr Raikar Marg, near Gajanan Vatika. As soon as its sensors pick up any movement around the dumping spot, a warning message plays automatically on the loudspeaker. The announcement asks people to keep the area clean and not to litter. It also reminds them that the area is under CCTV watch.

The BMC has clearly warned that people who keep ignoring these warnings and dumping garbage in public places could face heavy fines.

The technology is designed to identify people approaching garbage vulnerable points (GVPs) and to stop them from dumping by giving an audio warning on the spot.

The initiative has been taken by the BMC's G/North ward, which covers areas such as Mahim and Dadar. The ward has identified 23 places where garbage is dumped repeatedly and the problem persists. Yogesh Desai, Assistant Commissioner of the G/North ward, confirmed that the camera has been installed as a pilot project. The civic body intends to use the technology to stop garbage from piling up again at vulnerable spots after they have been cleaned.

According to civic officials, CCTV monitoring will continue at these spots until the dumping sites are cleared. The BMC is considering installing similar AI cameras at other garbage-prone spots in Mumbai in the coming days.

Mumbai generates more than 7,000 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste every day. A large share of it is lifted from the places commonly called GVPs. These spots are often near crowded markets, busy roads and informal settlements, where regular garbage collection services can be hard to reach. When residents, commuters and pedestrians repeatedly dump garbage there, heaps build up. Such hotspots bring problems such as foul smell, the spread of insects and risks to public health.

To deal with this, the BMC is running a ward-level action plan. It includes CCTV surveillance, better garbage collection services and public awareness campaigns. Surveillance cameras have reportedly already been installed at 134 garbage vulnerable points in Mumbai. Civic officials also said that 102 old garbage-dumping spots have been eliminated after assessment and improvements in garbage collection services.

The initiative is being talked about on social media after a video of the BMC's AI surveillance system at work was shared. In the footage, a person arrives at a spot by the roadside, leaves a green garbage bag and walks away. The CCTV recording then showed how the system tracked the person's movements using AI-based detection.

Many social media users welcomed the move. They said such measures could make people stop treating roadsides and public places as dumping grounds. Some said technology alone would not solve Mumbai's waste management challenges, and stressed strict enforcement, regular garbage collection and public participation. Others suggested that repeat offenders be identified and punished, rather than relying only on audio warnings.

With the Mahim pilot, the BMC aims to implement smart surveillance firmly and link it with public awareness, so that illegal garbage dumping stops and public places stay clean across Mumbai.