THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) coming down heavily on Kerala for dumping both biomedical and non-biodegradable waste in the bordering villages of Tamil Nadu, the state is gearing up to curb illegal interstate transportation of solid waste.
The plan is to introduce GPS tracking of all vehicles deployed for interstate transportation of waste and catch illegal service providers involved in such violations. Sarada Muraleedharan, additional chief secretary, local self-government department (LSGD), told TNIE that GPS will be installed in all vehicles transporting waste from Kerala within a month.
At present, Kerala is heavily dependent on cement factories in Tamil Nadu for disposing of tonnes of rejected and non-biodegradable waste generated back home.
The NGT had taken a suo motu case against the illegal dumping of waste from Kerala near Anaimalai in Tamil Nadu, and the CPCB was assigned to investigate it. During inspections, CPCB found heaps of biomedical and other waste from Kerala dumped in TN.
MVD and police aid sought against illegal waste transportation
As per the CPCB, Kerala can handle only 30% of the total waste it generates. It said Kerala, having a population of over 3.34 crore, generates around 3.7 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually.
The CPCB had heavily criticised the state government and Clean Kerala Company Ltd (CKCL) — an agency under the LSGD aimed at ensuring scientific handling of waste generated in 720 local bodies in Kerala — for irresponsible handling of waste and lacking adequate infrastructure and facilities for waste management.
“The development of the application is under way and it’s expected to be ready in a month or so. We will enable GPS trackers in the entire fleet of vehicles transporting waste,” Sarada said.
The LSGD has empanelled around 21 agencies for transporting waste. Currently, the government has tied up with cement factories and recycling plants at Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and other states.
“Our entire system is working hard to find sustainable solutions to resolve these issues. We have sought the intervention of the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) and the police to take action against those illegally transporting waste. Illegal movement might have happened but blowing up such incidents might not help. We have taken steps towards waste reduction and have done the work to rectify the failures in our waste management system. It might take more time, but we are closer towards that goal,” Sarada added.
CKCL handled around 12516.467 tonnes of non-biodegradable waste between April 2023 and March 2024. With complaints growing, the LSGD with the help of other agencies is gearing up to strengthen regulatory measures to curb illegal transportation of waste. Chairperson of Kerala State Pollution Control Board Sreekala S told TNIE that they have drawn up a comprehensive action plan to address the issues.
“GPS tracker is one of the many interventions. We will take meausres to step up surveillance at the check-post. We are in talks with the TNPCB and other stakeholders to put an end to such illegal activities. Investigations are on to detect such illegal operations,” Sreekala said.