Cross-border waste dumping: NGT finds gaps in Keralam pollution control board’s report on treatment of biomedical waste

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has picked holes in the report by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), which claimed that there are adequate treatment facilities for processing the biomedical waste generated in healthcare facilities across various districts.

The Southern Bench of the tribunal has asked the authorities to explain why the waste generated in Keralam had to be dumped in the border States if there are no gaps in the treatment capacity. The board has been told to submit a district-wise list of healthcare facilities found lacking in waste management as part of the proceedings in the case related to the illegal dumping of biomedical and mixed solid waste from Keralam at various locations across Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu in December 2024.