Faced with a beach buried under mountains of garbage — paper, plastic, and decomposing waste — most would look away. But Afroz Shah, a young lawyer from Mumbai, chose to act. His vision and determination led to the world’s largest beach clean-up project, turning Versova Beach from a dumping ground into a model of environmental recovery.
In October 2015, disturbed by the ankle-deep filth on Versova Beach, Shah began picking up trash with his 84-year-old neighbor. His consistent weekend efforts quickly gathered attention. Soon, locals, schoolchildren, celebrities, and civic bodies joined him. Over the course of 119 consecutive weekends, more than 9 million kilograms of garbage were removed.
The cleanup not only transformed the beach visually, but also ecologically. In 2018, olive ridley sea turtles returned to the shore to nest — a phenomenon not seen there in decades. The once-toxic coast had been brought back to life.
Shah’s relentless activism earned him the UN’s highest environmental award — the Champions of the Earth — in 2016. The UN hailed his efforts as the largest beach clean-up in history, inspiring similar projects in other cities and countries.
Afroz Shah has repeatedly emphasized that environmental change starts with individuals.
“If I can do this, so can anyone,” he says. “We must love our environment like we love our homes.”
Afroz Shah’s journey proves that one person’s courage and consistency can spark a revolution. His legacy isn’t just a cleaner beach — it’s a global reminder that sustainable change begins with everyday action.
