Kerala and Tamil Nadu to jointly monitor illegal cross-border waste dumping

The Kerala State Pollution Control Board and its Tamil Nadu counterpart will establish a coordinated mechanism to track waste consignments, identify violations and enforce action against illegal cross-border dumping.

The joint monitoring protocol is being drafted following the illegal disposal of biomedical and mixed solid waste from Kerala in multiple locations across Tiruneveli district of Tamil Nadu in December 2024. The National Green Tribunal took suo motu cognisance of the incident and directed both State Pollution Control Boards to report on measures taken to prevent such violations.

Meetings held to frame joint strategy

Officials from the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and the Central Pollution Control Board met on September 9 and 10 to discuss steps for preventing illegal interstate movement and disposal of waste, particularly in border areas. The KSPCB submitted a report detailing these deliberations to the Southern Bench of the tribunal on September 16, 2026.

The proposed protocol is intended to establish a coordinated mechanism for monitoring and verification of consignments and documents, with appropriate follow-up and enforcement action by the respective boards. Officials of the KSPCB said it has been agreed in principle to undertake joint monitoring by both pollution control boards for strengthening surveillance, verification and enforcement related to interstate movement and disposal of waste. The draft joint monitoring protocol is currently under preparation.

Real-time tracking system deployed

The KSPCB has completed real-time tracking of about 3,700 heavy goods vehicles for monitoring the interstate movement of commercial goods vehicles carrying solid waste. The system has been implemented in association with the Kerala Motor Vehicles Department and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.

Officials of the MVD said measures have been initiated for registration of waste generators, transporters, vehicles and waste receivers online. The system helps in tracking the vehicles from the point of waste generation to the receiving facility. It will alert the violations, if any, of the norms prescribed for proper waste collection and transport, they said.

The December 2024 incident that triggered the National Green Tribunal's intervention underscores the challenges in regulating waste movement across state borders, particularly when disposal norms differ or enforcement gaps exist. The joint protocol aims to address these regulatory weaknesses through shared surveillance and coordinated enforcement between the two neighbouring states.

Source: The Hindu