A large quantity of waste, estimated at around 10 tonnes and suspected to have been transported from Kerala, has been discovered dumped on land belonging to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department at Keezha Kadayam village in Tenkasi district, prompting a police investigation and renewed environmental concerns, as reported in The New Indian Express.
The waste was found on Monday at an isolated location situated roughly 100 feet from the Kadayam-Tenkasi Road, close to the Keezha Kadayam village burial ground. The dumped material reportedly included plastic waste, electronic waste, discarded mobile phone components, damaged vehicle seats and seat covers, electrical cables, thermocol pieces from dismantled refrigerators, and sacks containing expired tablets.
Tonnes of #KeralaWaste, largely plastic waste, used car parts, seat covers & electrical wires, have allegedly been dumped on govt land at Kadayam in Tenkasi district.
This is major incident since the National Green Tribunal, acting on a TNIE report,… pic.twitter.com/ph05jpkrR4
— Thinakaran Rajamani (@thinak_) July 20, 2026
Locals who came across the waste claimed that several of the sacks carried Malayalam inscriptions. They also said registration number plates belonging to Kerala-registered vehicles were found scattered among the dumped material, leading to suspicion that the waste had been brought from the neighbouring state.
— Thinakaran Rajamani (@thinak_) July 20, 2026
Following a complaint lodged by HR&CE Executive Officer Sudha, the Kadayam police registered a case against unidentified persons for illegally dumping the waste. Officials have begun an investigation to trace those responsible.
Residents and environmental activists voiced concern over the location of the dumping site, warning that runoff during the monsoon could carry contaminants into the nearby Jambu River and adjoining agricultural fields, posing a threat to soil quality and groundwater.
They further alleged that trucks transporting minerals, vegetables, rice and other commodities from Tamil Nadu to Kerala frequently return carrying waste, which is then dumped illegally in rural areas of the state. According to them, such incidents have continued despite repeated complaints made to the authorities over the years.
Recalling an earlier episode, residents said plastic waste allegedly transported from Kerala had been dumped at Chettimadam hamlet in the same panchayat a few years ago and was later set on fire by unidentified persons. They urged the authorities to identify those behind the latest incident, ensure that the waste is transported back to Kerala, and invoke the provisions of the Goondas Act against the offenders.
The latest incident has also revived memories of the biomedical waste dumping case reported in December 2024, when a substantial quantity of biomedical waste, allegedly originating from Kerala, particularly from the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, was dumped across several villages in Tirunelveli district.
The reports triggered suo motu proceedings before the National Green Tribunal, which directed the Kerala government to retrieve the waste. Subsequently, the waste was transported back to Kerala in more than 30 truckloads.
Following that controversy, the Tamil Nadu government amended the Goondas Act to provide for the preventive detention of individuals found to be involved in the illegal dumping of biomedical waste.
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