Articles by Maria Dsouza

Maria is a retired school teacher from St Stanislaus High School, Bandra. She is a civic activist with BMC's H/West ward, and works with children to raise their environmental awareness, so they become responsible citizens. As the chairperson of ALM 33 Mt Mary Kane Road, she has been working with the residents to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle waste in her locality.

Struggle to stay sustainable: Learnings from a Mumbai community aiming to go zero waste

by August 20, 2025

In the western suburbs of Mumbai, the Mount Mary and Kane Road areas in Bandra comprise a diverse neighbourhood of 38 high-rise apartments, bungalows, four religious institutions, a school, an orphanage, a hospice, and a women’s hostel. Since 1998, this locality has been actively served by ALM 33 — an Advanced Locality Management unit recognised by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for its proactive resident group, working to improve the quality of life in the area. For years, the BMC did not have a consistent waste management programme in ALM 33. This led to sanitation issues, including overflowing bins, clogged…

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