The Ocean Cleanup Deploys Interceptor Barriers in Mumbai's Trombay Creek and Malad Creek

The Ocean Cleanup formally deployed its Interceptor plastic-interception barriers in two of Mumbai's most plastic-polluted waterways — Trombay Creek and Malad Creek — marking the organization's entry into India and expanding its 30 Cities Program to South Asia. The deployment was carried out in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), following a Memorandum of Understanding and permit issuance. On-ground operations are led by social enterprise Plastic Fischer, which operates in seven Indian cities, while United Way Mumbai supports community engagement and stakeholder consultations. The two pilot interceptors are expected to recover 61 to 92 tonnes of plastic per year once fully operational during the monsoon season, when rivers run at peak flow. Mumbai's waterways collectively discharge an estimated 5 million kilograms of plastic into the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean annually, threatening 220 kilometres of coastline, approximately 152 km² of mangroves, 107 protected species, and the livelihoods of roughly 1.9 million people dependent on coastal ecosystems. Trombay and Malad were selected as initial priority sites based on flow volume, plastic load density, and the feasibility of barrier installation in urban waterway infrastructure. The initiative is part of The Ocean Cleanup's broader goal to deploy in the 30 most plastic-polluting urban river systems worldwide by 2030, aiming to prevent one-third of riverine ocean-bound plastic.