A British holidaymaker has revealed the most unbelievable travel spot he’s seen and documented the adventure on TikTok.
Louie Carabott (@louiecarabott_), having recently toured countries including Brazil, Colombia, and Thailand, is currently exploring India and giving his followers a glimpse of what he encounters. Basking in sunlight, he proclaimed with dismay at his Mumbai surroundings: “This has got to be the dirtiest place I’ve ever been to in my life.”
Making his way through a local suburb, he was astonished by the amount of litter he saw. “Apparently in Mumbai it’s all full of rubbish – this used to be a river,” he remarked, surveying from atop a bridge a zone overwhelmed with discarded waste. “Let me show you these streets,” he went on. “They are absolutely crazy. This place actually might be too much for me.”
As he trekked past a series of street vendors and food stalls, Louie noted: “The business is alright, but plus the heat and everyone trying to sell you stuff… it’s hectic – there’s no other place in Asia like this.”
Amidst struggles with mounting waste, Louie captured scenes of roads being swept against a backdrop filled with relentless blares of vehicle horns. “There’s literally people everywhere – people honking their horns… this place is mental.”
A follower amongst his audience of 158,000 commented with familiarity: “Without you even saying the name of the place, I knew it was Mumbai.” Meanwhile, another expressed utter astonishment, suggesting a hasty retreat: “I’d be out of there on a plane ASAP!”
A third exclaimed: “Unbelievable. I couldn’t do it. You’re brave.” Whilst a fourth revealed: “Really wanted to go. My husband went for work and now refuses to take me because he said it’s beyond dirty.”
Mumbai, previously dubbed Bombay, stands as India’s bustling financial hub and its most densely populated metropolis, boasting an impressive 12.5 million dwellers. The Hindustan Times reports that the city’s landfills have risen alongside the urban sprawl, forming waste “mountains” comparable in height to 18-storey buildings.
Spanning 300 acres, Deonar, a suburb of Mumbai, is considered among Asia’s largest dumping sites and is thought to be its oldest. The Hindustan Times remarks on this aspect of the city: “It reflects the dizzying growth and swelling desires of a city,” further noting that the landfill accommodates between 13 and 16 million tonnes of refuse, with an average of 2000 Metric Tonnes (MT) of garbage compounding daily.
The website adds that residents in the vicinity commonly suffer from diseases such as asthma, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, as well as injuries including cuts, bruises, and eye disorders.