Malabar Hill treetop walkway littered with plastic waste

Plastic Waste Accumulates at Malabar Hill Walkway

A mere nine months since it was inaugurated, plastic waste tossed from Hanging Gardens is piling up on Malabar Hill slopes, with residents blaming poor enforcement and unchecked tourist behaviour.

The Malabar Hill treetop walkway, which opened on April 1, 2025, was meant to provide a scenic view of South Mumbai’s green canopy. However, it now overlooks slopes littered with plastic waste. Tourists are discarding snack packets and bottles from the Hanging Gardens, turning a natural experience into a dumping ground.

Residents report that the increase in visitors has led to garbage accumulating on the hill slopes below. They allege that tourists often throw away packaged food waste, water bottles, juice cartons, and plastic bags, polluting the area that supports the walkway and houses several evergreen trees.

Locals have raised concerns about poor enforcement and a lack of cleanliness efforts. They note that the absence of elected representatives since the walkway’s opening has made it difficult to ensure accountability and change visitor behaviour.

While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) conducts morning cleaning rounds, residents highlight that visitors can carry packaged food and drinks into the Hanging Gardens and walkway all day. This leads to repeated instances of littering.

“This is meant to be a forest treetop walkway that offers a green experience. But the view from the walkway is now compromised due to the growing amount of garbage piling up on the slopes through the day. We need large-scale awareness drives and tighter security to prevent packaged food items from being carried inside the Hanging Gardens, so plastic littering can be stopped,” said Pervin Sanghvi, a resident.

Both sides of the walkway are now filled with discarded chip packets, food wrappers, water and juice bottles, tetra packs, and plastic bags. Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that security should strictly prevent packaged food from being taken inside. “The BMC had proposed starting a refreshments centre inside the viewing gallery itself. If corrective steps are not taken now, poor civic sense will continue to prevail,” the resident said.

Residents are calling for the civic body to ban bags inside the Hanging Gardens. Sanghvi noted that multiple dustbins already exist within the garden. “The real issue is awareness and behaviour. This can be addressed through better enforcement. The civic body can consider a coupon-based system or lockers, where visitors leave their bags outside before entering the gardens,” he added.