A foreign visitor to Mumbai has praised the city’s new Aqua Line metro while raising concerns about its beaches, sanitation and waste management.
The post was shared by X user Lee Kuan Yimby, who wrote, “I was just in Mumbai, and I have to give them credit for the progress they’re making on infrastructure. The new Aqua Line metro is phenomenal.” He then turned his attention to the city’s cleanliness and sanitation.
‘The beaches are filled with trash’
Yimby said Mumbai’s location surrounded by water made its condition particularly disappointing to him. “The beaches are filled with trash, the water is badly contaminated, and almost nobody swims, even when it’s brutally hot outside,” he wrote.
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He argued that the problem goes beyond individual behaviour and requires improvements in waste collection, sewage treatment and enforcement. He suggested treating the cleanup as a “national emergency” and proposed paid work for unemployed people to pick up rubbish, clear drains and waterways, clean beaches and maintain public spaces.
Yimby also said India had demonstrated its ability to build metros, airports, highways and digital infrastructure, arguing that “clean streets and usable water should be treated as infrastructure too.”
He added that Mumbai could have one of the world’s greatest waterfronts but said the city had instead allowed it to become overwhelmed by sewage and garbage.
Take a look:
Internet reacts
“Great point. Mumbaikar here and the beaches are almost non-existent for a local. The idea of a swim in the sea is almost laughable for us (unfortunately),” one person wrote.
Another user said, “Interesting take. I’ll be travelling to Mumbai soon, so excited to see for myself. +1 on cleanliness, I see the same in Delhi, Gurgaon.”
“Culture trumps wealth every time,” another comment read.
One user agreed that major changes were needed, writing, “You are so right. There must be big and rapid changes in cleanliness enforced by a strong hand. But people are corrupt at every level. And nobody will listen. That is the problem.”
Another commenter said the solution required collective participation, writing, “It can be possible only with will power of all the citizens living here.”
“Lack of vision is the basic problem,” another user added.
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One commenter also supported Yimby’s suggestion of creating paid cleanup work. “Unemployed persons must be given on paid work for clean up,” they wrote, adding that entrepreneurs could also build solutions around waste management.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
