The well-heeled denizens of South Mumbai who enjoy their morning walks along Marine Drive, the city’s scenic promenade, were in for a malodorous shock last month. For over two days, during high tides, the Arabian Sea spewed 12,000 tonnes of debris and litter ashore. As the filth blocked roads and sewage systems, traffic jams and water-logging followed. India generates over 150,000 tonnes of solid waste every day, most of which is dumped in landfills, rivers and the sea untreated. The World Bank reckons the figure will grow two-and-a-half times by 2025. “Mumbai is sinking,” warned India’s Supreme Court last month. Delhi is buried under “mountain loads of garbage”. Fishermen in the Arabian Sea complain they net four times as much plastic as fish. The court has given India’s states a final opportunity to come up with a plan to fix the mess. Expect much trash-talking at the hearing that begins today.