News Tamil Nadu

How Kerala Govt Has Been Using Tamil Nadu And Karnataka As A Dumping Ground For Its Toxic Wastes

December 17, 2024
The Commune

Kerala is in the news, this time for dumping medical waste in Tamil Nadu villages. Large volumes of biomedical, food, and plastic waste from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) and Credence Private Hospital have been dumped across multiple villages in Kodaganallur and Palavoor in Tamil Nadu. The waste includes hazardous materials like used syringes, PPE kits, and medical records containing sensitive personal information, raising serious health and environmental concerns.

The dumping, which has been ongoing for months, usually occurs at night, making it difficult to identify the perpetrators. Suspected trucks, allegedly carrying loads for a nearby paper mill, are thought to be involved.

Despite repeated complaints from landowners, authorities have failed to take action, leaving the issue unresolved.

Sensitive medical records, including patient details and treatment plans, were found among the waste, pointing to improper disposal practices and potential data breaches. The dumping has also contaminated local water sources, affecting livestock and causing health problems for residents.

The matter has been brought to the attention of the Suthamalli police and Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister’s Special Cell, but no case has been filed yet. CCTV cameras at strategic locations could potentially identify the trucks involved, but no action has been taken. The District Collector has instructed local officials and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to investigate and take legal action, with an FIR expected soon. Residents and activists are calling for the waste to be returned to Kerala and for stronger measures to prevent further illegal waste transportation.

But this is not the first time Kerala has dumped its waste in Tamil Nadu. While recent media reports have highlighted this issue, several incidents have gone unreported, further raising concerns over illegal waste disposal across the state borders. These recurrent incidents not only jeopardize the environment but also strain local governance and law enforcement systems.

Meat Waste Dumping

One such incident occurred in 2022, when meat waste from a slaughterhouse in Kerala was found discarded in an open area in Thanakkarkulam panchayat, located in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district. The truck, which was transporting over 100 jute bags of waste, was fined Rs 10,000 by local authorities after residents raised alarm about the foul smell emanating from the truck. The truck driver claimed that the owner of a slaughterhouse near Ernakulam had paid him Rs 40,000 to dump the waste in Tamil Nadu, with an additional Rs 20,000 paid for bribing officials at checkposts. Despite the severity of the situation, no arrests were made, and the authorities only imposed a fine without pursuing further legal action.

This incident followed a similar one in which a truck was intercepted by municipal officials in Kuzhithurai, Kanniyakumari district. However, the authorities failed to send the truck back to Kerala, allowing it to continue its journey to Tirunelveli. Once there, the waste was unloaded at the site, and the police refrained from registering a case, claiming that the issue should have been handled by the Kanniyakumari police.

In another instance from 2018, a truck carrying meat waste was caught dumping it illegally along the Karnataka border. Local residents near Baleguli in Irde village alerted authorities when they noticed the truck, and it was subsequently stopped. This prompted protests from locals who warned the drivers not to repeat the illegal dumping. Despite several complaints from locals, no action had been taken by the relevant authorities until the incident was exposed by the public.

This persistent issue has not been limited to just one or two cases. Activists have raised alarms about the regular illegal disposal of various types of waste, including bio-medical, plastic, and electronic waste, into water bodies along the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. In 2015, local residents in Kanyakumari district held a protest demanding immediate action from the district administration, as waste from slaughterhouses and meat shops in Kerala was being dumped in nearby water bodies, posing a significant public health risk.

In 2023, unidentified individuals dumped nearly 10 tonnes of plastic, medical, and domestic waste from Kerala near Nanguneri town panchayat in Tamil Nadu on 7 October 2023 night. The waste, including plastic goods, medicines, and household items, was found in several locations, blocking roads and farmland. Villagers had to burn some of it to clear the road. Authorities suspected the waste originated from Thiruvananthapuram, as identified in medical bills and household articles. Police launched an investigation, analyzing CCTV footage to trace the culprits. A case regarding Kerala’s waste dumping is also pending in the Madras High Court.

On 12 October 2023, Nanguneri police in Tirunelveli registered a case against two individuals for transporting various types of waste from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The truck was seized. On the night of 11 October 2023, a truck transporting poultry waste from Kerala was fined Rs 25,000 by the town panchayat in Kulasekaram, Kanniyakumari district.

Over the years, Kerala has faced increasing scrutiny for dumping biomedical, electronic, and other types of waste in Tamil Nadu, particularly in Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts. This illegal practice, often conducted in the dead of night, has been reported multiple times, with various waste types, including used syringes, surgical waste, plastic goods, and electronic appliances, found discarded in public spaces, farmland, and water bodies in Tamil Nadu.

In recent incidents, around 10 tonnes of waste from Kerala, including plastic and medical waste, were dumped near Nanguneri town in Tirunelveli. This included materials from hospitals, such as expired drugs and used syringes, which were found in lorries from Kerala. Villagers had to burn part of the waste to clear roads, while authorities removed the rest using earthmovers. Investigations into these incidents revealed that the waste was transported through the Kanniyakumari district, with police and local authorities passing the blame between each other. Despite fines imposed on transporters, no concrete action has been taken against those burning the waste or the individuals involved in the illegal dumping.

A similar case occurred in Naranapuram village in Tenkasi, where biomedical and electronic waste from Kerala was dumped for the second time in two weeks. This time, authorities were slow to respond, and locals had to intervene. The waste included used televisions, home appliances, and poultry waste. The Tenkasi police, despite raising the issue with their counterparts in Kanniyakumari, have yet to take substantial action to prevent such incidents.

Authorities have imposed fines on some violators in the past, such as in 2018 when 29 trucks carrying medical and biomedical waste from Kerala were caught at Puliyarai check-post, but waste disposal practices continue unchecked. Local activists and villagers are demanding stronger enforcement of waste management laws and more accountability from authorities on both sides of the border.

Electronic Waste Dumping

In 2023, in Tenkasi district, residents of Karumbanur, Kalathimadam, and Anaiyappapuram were seen to face serious health issues due to the illegal burning of electronic waste (e-waste) from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The e-waste, which includes motherboards, used cellphones, batteries, wires, capacitors, and vehicle parts, was being burned to extract valuable metals like copper. This process, occurring mainly at Karumbanur, caused breathing difficulties and sleepless nights for local residents, especially affecting children and the elderly.

Despite multiple complaints to local authorities, including the police and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), no concrete action was taken. The police, citing a lack of proper complaints with technical details, did not take any measures against the perpetrators. On a recent inspection following a complaint from a local farmer, the police found the burning of e-waste but were unable to apprehend the culprits.

In May 2023, a truck carrying electronic and plastic waste from Kerala was discovered near Kalathimadam village on Alangulam-Ambasamudram Road. The driver claimed to have transported the waste from Kerala to Alangulam via the Kanniyakumari district check post without proper documentation.

Tenkasi Police (Alangulam) took prompt action the following day, with support from the health department. They discovered that the truck also contained medical waste. The truck was seized, and two individuals were arrested.

In August 2023, Alangulam police registered a case against four individuals and arrested two for transporting medical, plastic, and bakery waste, including hospital beds, from Kerala and burning it near Sivalarkulam village. The suspects, identified as Karthik Murugan, Ganesan, Senthil Murugan, and Rajalingam, were charged under various sections of the IPC and the Epidemic Diseases Act. Health inspector A Rajanainar, upon receiving a tip-off, investigated the site and found a truck loaded with medical waste, bakery items, and plastic. The suspects threatened the inspectors, but they were apprehended with the help of the public. The truck, linked to APV Traders in Kottayam, Kerala, was seized. In a related incident, Alangulam police previously arrested a truck driver from Thiruvananthapuram for transporting medical and electronic waste from Kerala to Tamil Nadu and arrested a local resident for attempting to dump the waste.

In November 2023, NTK functionaries in Kanyakumari district seized another vehicle carrying waste from Kerala.

In November 2023, a petition was filed after a truck carrying medical waste was released by a lower court, affecting the investigation. The High Court canceled the lower court’s order, supporting the government’s stance. Tamil Nadu informed that legal advice was sought to take action against those involved under the Gangster Detention Act. The court acknowledged the government’s efforts and suggested a legal amendment to tackle medical waste dumping more effectively.

In December 2023, Puliyarai police in Tenkasi district intercepted a vehicle transporting meat waste from Kerala to Tamil Nadu at a check post and promptly sent it back.

Illegal Waste Dumping In Karnataka

If you thought, it was only Tamil Nadu that was bearing the brunt of Kerala’s illegal dumping, there’s news. Around 2018, Kerala started illegally dumping medical and other wastes in border towns of Karnataka too. Here are a few recorded instances of illegal dumping by Kerala.

In 2018, five individuals, including three from Kerala, were arrested for illegally dumping meat waste in Vittal, Karnataka. They reportedly charged slaughterhouses in Kerala to dispose of waste in Karnataka, bypassing Kerala’s strict regulations and fines. The public caught the violators red-handed with a truckload of waste, prompting police action. A goods tempo and a car used for transport were seized. The accused face charges under IPC Sections 269, 270, 277, and 278 for endangering public health and the environment. Sources indicated that lorry owners were paid up to ₹400 per sack, with medium lorries transporting 200-300 sacks per trip.

In 2020, two individuals were arrested for attempting to dump 15 sacks of plastic waste in Kodagu’s reserve forest area. Past reports indicated medical waste was dumped in Kodagu forests by vehicles from Kerala.

Six trucks carrying biomedical and plastic waste were intercepted at the Bandipur Moolehole checkpost. The waste included toxic materials and animal carcasses.

Nanjangud police caught two individuals from Malappuram dumping biomedical waste on the outskirts of the town. Vacant lands in Nanjangud’s industrial area were used as dumping sites by trucks from Kerala.

On 30 January 2023, two individuals were arrested for attempting to dump 15 sacks of plastic waste in a reserve forest near the Makutta checkpost on the Kerala-Karnataka border. The waste, transported in a truck from Kerala, was intercepted by alert forest rangers. The driver and cleaner, both natives of Andhra Pradesh, were booked under the Wildlife Protection Act and remanded to judicial custody.

Over the years, trucks from Kerala have been illegally transporting and dumping solid waste, including biomedical, animal, and plastic waste, in Karnataka, causing environmental and health concerns. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) raised the issue with its Kerala counterpart, but violations persist. Notable incidents include the seizure of six trucks near the Mulehole check post in Gundlupet, Chamarajanagar, based on a tip-off, leading to FIRs against seven individuals.

Activists and officials warn that unchecked waste dumping threatens wildlife in Bandipur-Nagarahole and BRT tiger reserves and pollutes border areas. Despite earlier efforts to alert local authorities and forest directors, the trucks continued to cross from Kerala’s Wayanad region without proper checks.

In May 2024, CCTV cameras installed by Manjanady gram panchayat captured a Kerala-registered car (KL 14 AB 3823) dumping garbage on vacant land near Batyadka, Karnataka, on the day of installation. The area, located near the Kerala-Karnataka border, has raised suspicions that the waste is transported from Kerala. Local residents had previously complained about foul smells from garbage dumped near their homes, prompting the installation of cameras. The footage shows the offenders stopping their cars, dumping the waste, and speeding off. In response, the Panchayat Development Officer filed a complaint with Konaje police to address the illegal dumping and its environmental impact.

Kerala’s biomedical waste management crisis has reached a critical point of irresponsibility. With just one operational biomedical waste treatment plant in Palakkad and chronic delays in establishing another in Brahmapuram, the state has repeatedly demonstrated a callous disregard for proper waste management. These are not mere administrative challenges, but deliberate negligence that comes at a devastating cost to neighboring Tamil Nadu’s environment and public health.

The recurring pattern of illegal waste dumping cannot be excused by bureaucratic inefficiencies or infrastructural limitations. Each truckload of medical waste, each discarded syringe, and each contaminated water source represents a direct assault on the ecological and health safety of border communities. Will Kerala continue to hide behind bureaucratic ineptitude while systematically exporting its waste management failures to neighbouring states?

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