Construction pipes allegedly discharging muddy water and sludge onto Juhu beach have resurfaced at two locations along Juhu Tara Road, prompting a fresh complaint with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and renewed concerns over possible harm to marine life.
Marine ecologist Shaunak Modi, director of the Coastal Conservation Foundation and founder of Marine Life of Mumbai, flagged the latest discharge on November 4 after finding pipes releasing water into the sea near the Little Italy restaurant. He posted pictures and videos on X, saying the location was a few hundred metres from the earlier site and asking the BMC’s K West ward to take action against the construction site.
“Much like Medusa’s heads another one has popped up. This one is a few hundred metres from the previous one,” Modi wrote in the post, according to Mid-Day. He also told the publication that pipes at the earlier location had been reattached.
The BMC’s K West ward responded to Modi’s post at 6.26 pm on November 4, saying the complaint had been forwarded to the concerned department. At 6.31 pm, Modi asked the ward to share the complaint number and informed it that pipes at the earlier location had also reappeared. The ward said on November 5 at 2.08 pm that a complaint had been registered on the BMC’s MARG portal under complaint number KW_202600164716.
The two reported locations are approximately 250 metres apart along the same stretch of Juhu Tara Road. Modi said three pipes at the earlier location were connected to stormwater drains and released water onto the beach. Another set of three pipes was discharging water from a nearby construction site.
The latest development follows a report published by Mid-Day on October 26 about the alleged discharge of muddy water and construction sludge from a site onto Juhu beach and into the Arabian Sea. Modi had first raised the issue on October 24, warning that the discharge could affect marine organisms and the coastal ecosystem.
According to the report, the earlier discharge had eroded more than a foot of beach sand, while a large stretch of the beach was covered in fine mud. The sediment could settle over seabed organisms and reduce water clarity, potentially worsening the ecological impact. The pipes were removed after the earlier report, but their reported reappearance has raised questions about whether removal alone was sufficient to stop the discharge.
The BMC complaint now covers the latest reported location, while Modi has also pointed to the return of pipes at the earlier site. The concerned department’s response and the action taken against the construction activity remain the next official steps in the matter.
