BMC puts AI camera with loudspeaker warning at Mahim garbage spot to catch litterers

The habit of throwing garbage on the road could now prove costly. The Mumbai municipal corporation has turned to cameras powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to curb filth in the city. Anyone who dumps garbage by the roadside or elsewhere can easily be caught on camera.

The camera also advises people, in a loud voice, to keep the area clean. The sound lets everyone nearby know that someone is throwing garbage on the road.

The initiative has begun in Mahim. The first AI camera has been installed at Gajanan Vatika on Dr Raikar Marg. Garbage is dumped there repeatedly, so the spot is counted among the city's sensitive garbage-collection points. The camera has been put up to keep watch there.

When a person comes to the spot to dump garbage, the camera picks up what is in their hand. If it recognises the item as garbage, it says loudly that garbage should not be dumped here and that the area should be kept clean.

The corporation has shared a video of this on X. In it, a man is seen bringing garbage in a green bag and placing it by the roadside. The camera spots him at that moment and a warning comes from the speaker. The video makes clear that people who dump garbage will now be closely watched through technology.

According to the corporation, its G/North ward has started this technology-based initiative to stop dumping at Garbage Vulnerable Points (GVPs), places in Mumbai where large quantities of garbage are likely to collect. The corporation has also said AI-based cameras will be installed at various locations in Mumbai in the coming days.

For now, the experiment has begun in Mahim on a trial basis, but the corporation plans to install such cameras in other parts of the city too. The city has 283 sensitive garbage-collection points, and the corporation intends to extend the initiative with these in mind.

Mumbaikars have also reacted on social media. Many have welcomed the experiment. Some want action beyond warnings, with fines for repeat offenders. However many cameras are installed, they say, keeping the city clean is ultimately the citizens' responsibility too. If people make a habit of putting garbage in the right place instead of throwing it on the road, Mumbai will always stay clean.