AI cameras in Mumbai to dissuade people from dumping garbage in open

The AI camera installation in Mahim’s GVP is a part of BMC’s plan to eliminate GVPs through ward-based action plan that entailed installing CCTV cameras, additional collection services and behavioural change campaign.

In a pilot project launched to deter littering in public spaces, unauthorised garbage dumping will set off alarms in the city through a blaring loudspeaker and attract heavy penalties.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has installed an AI camera equipped with a live warning loudspeaker in Mahim’s Gajanan Vatika, a garbage vulnerable point (GVP) which records chronic waste dumping.

The pilot project entails an AI camera which will detect an individual’s movement approaching to dump garbage. As soon as the sensor records motion, the system will set off a message through an in-built loudspeaker appealing to offenders to keep the premises clean and stray away from littering in public.

According to senior civic officials, repeat offenders will be levied with heavy fines for open garbage dumping and littering if the warning is ignored. The pilot project was launched in G/North ward, since the belt is home to some of the largest number of GVPs identified in Mumbai.

Every day, the city generates over 7,000 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste of which a large quantity is collected from GVPs, which are legacy hotspots where heaps of garbage pile up owing to frequent dumping of waste by residents, commuters and pedestrians. Usually located in areas like markets with high footfall or in informal settlements that waste collection vehicles cannot enter, GVPs are a pain point for the civic body and citizens as they attract pests, spread odour, and can pose significant impact on public health and environment.

The AI camera installation in Mahim’s GVP is a part of BMC’s plan to eliminate GVPs through ward-based action plan that entailed installing CCTV cameras, additional collection services and behavioural change campaign. A senior official told The Indian Express that so far, CCTV cameras have been deployed across 134 GVPs. Over past few months, 102 chronic dumping sites have been eliminated following analyses service enhancement.