The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has rolled out an artificial intelligence-powered surveillance system to crack down on public littering, using smart cameras that can detect people dumping garbage and issue instant audio warnings to offenders.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has rolled out an artificial intelligence-powered surveillance system to crack down on public littering, using smart cameras that can detect people dumping garbage and issue instant audio warnings to offenders. Sharing a video of the initiative on its official X account, the civic body said its G/North ward had introduced the technology at Gajanan Vatika on Dr Raykar Marg in Mahim, one of Mumbai’s identified garbage-vulnerable points (GVPs).
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The video showed a man wearing a dark shirt and light-coloured trousers walking along a roadside lined with parked vehicles, trees and buildings. He was then seen bending down to place a green plastic bag on the ground before casually walking away.
The footage switched to a CCTV camera view, where green tracking boxes followed the man’s movements in real time, demonstrating how the AI-powered surveillance system identifies suspicious activity.
The smart camera is designed to detect individuals approaching the location with the apparent intention of dumping waste. Once such activity is identified, the system immediately broadcasts an audio warning through a loudspeaker, urging people to refrain from littering and keep the surroundings clean.
The BMC said it plans to expand the initiative by installing similar AI-enabled surveillance cameras at several other locations across Mumbai in the coming days.
The move has drawn largely positive reactions on social media, with users welcoming the use of technology to tackle the city’s persistent garbage problem. Some also came up with suggestions for expanding its application.