Kerala Removes Biomedical Waste Illegally Dumped In Tamil Nadu

Four people were arrested for facilitating the illegal dumping of biomedical waste in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district, even as the Kerala government initiated its removal.

The removal of 16 truckloads of biomedical waste, including blood samples and hazardous materials, follows a directive from the National Green Tribunal. The environmental body had taken up the issue on its own and ordered the removal of the waste within three days.

The incident, involving the illicit dumping of waste from Kerala hospitals in five villages in the Tirunelveli district, had raised serious environmental and public health concerns. The illegal disposal of biomedical waste poses significant risks, including the potential spread of infectious diseases and contamination of soil and water sources.

Opposition in Tamil Nadu was critical of the ruling DMK and alleged it had done little to crack down on the illegal dumping. The state government, however, accused the earlier AIADMK dispensation of letting the dumping go unchecked and claimed it had cracked down through monitoring.

With the hazardous wastes suspected to have come from the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cancer Centre and Credence Hospital, environmentalists raised questions whether these hospitals had the mandatory system for safe disposal of medical wastes.

The clearance, which began on Sunday, will continue today as well with officials from both states monitoring the progress.