Mumbai, Oct 29 (PTI) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has installed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered camera at a garbage-vulnerable spot in Mahim on a pilot basis to discourage people from dumping waste in the open.
A senior official from the Solid Waste Management department said that when the camera detects someone trying to dump garbage, the connected loudspeaker immediately plays an audio warning.
The BMC will assess the system's effectiveness before considering its installation at other locations across Mumbai, he said.
The civic body also appealed to citizens not to dump waste on roads, in open spaces and other public places.
As per the BMC, there are 286 garbage-vulnerable spots across Mumbai. R-South ward (Kandivali, Charkop and parts of Malad) has the highest 28, followed by M-East ward (Govandi and Deonar), M-West ward (Chembur and Mahim Creek areas) and G-North ward (Dadar, Mahim and Dharavi) with 23 each, and P-North ward (Malad and Malvani) with 22.
The civic body had, in the past, installed CCTV cameras at 130 locations to monitor garbage dumping and eliminated more than 100 such spots.
F-North (Sion, Matunga and Wadala) ward has the highest number of CCTV cameras at 11, the official said.
The AI-powered camera installed in Mahim is the first of its kind.
The system, however, does not automatically issue a 'challan' or fine memo to offenders. Civic employees must be deployed at the spot to take action, the official said.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)