Cross-border illegal waste dumping: Keralam, T.N. pollution control boards to draw up joint monitoring protocol for better surveillance

The State pollution control boards of Keralam and Tamil Nadu will soon come up with a joint monitoring protocol to prevent cross-border illegal waste dumping.

The proposed protocol is intended to establish a coordinated mechanism for monitoring and verification of consignments and documents, identification of violations and appropriate follow-up and enforcement action by the respective boards.

The decision to formulate a joint protocol is part of the steps initiated following the illegal dumping of biomedical and mixed solid waste from Kerala in various locations across Tiruneveli district of Tamil Nadu in December 2024.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT), which took suo motu cognisance of the incident, had asked the State Pollution Control Boards of Keralam and Tamil Nadu to submit a report on the action taken to curb cross-border illegal waste dumping.

In a report submitted to the Southern Bench of the tribunal on September 16, 2026, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) stated that meetings were held with the officials of the Central Pollution Control Board and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) on September 9 and 10 in connection with the steps to be taken to prevent illegal interstate movement and disposal of waste, particularly in the border areas.

Officials of the KSPCB said that it has been agreed in principle to undertake joint monitoring by the KSPCB and TNPCB for strengthening surveillance, verification and enforcement related to the interstate movement and disposal of waste. The draft joint monitoring protocol is currently under preparation, they said.

Real-time tracking

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

Officials of the MVD said that 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.