Girgaum Chowpatty

Girgaum Chowpatty, commonly known as Chaupati, is one of the famous public beaches adjoining Marine Drive in the Girgaon area of Mumbai, India. The beach is noted for its Ganesh Visarjan celebrations when thousands of people from all over Mumbai and Pune come to immerse the idols of Lord Ganesh in the Arabian Sea. It is also one of the many places in the city where the 'RAMLILA' is performed on a stage every year. An effigy of Ravan erected on the sand is burnt at the end of the 10-day performance. One can find several bhelpuri, panipuri, ragda patties and pav bhaji vendors on the beach.On the road running along the beach, the lone surviving terrorist of the 26/11 attacks, Ajmal Kasab, was caught and arrested. A bronze statue of Tukaram Omble, the policeman who helped arrest Kasab, was erected on 26November 2009EtymologyChowpatty is really Chau-pati as per . This name is analogous to that of Satpaty, a village in the Mahim Taluka of the Thane District, which is approached through a Channel or Creek, containing seven divisions of water.PollutionThe water surrounding the beach is heavily polluted, and swimming should be avoided. Fecal coliform was recorded in the water in 2013 at levels of 1455 per 100 mL, far above the acceptable standard of 500 per 100 mL. The presence of fecal coliform in the water has been attributed to waste from storm drains, open defecation, and the discharge of raw sewage from sewer pipes not connected to the city mains.