Kerala Waste In Karnataka: Trucks With Garbage Continue Crossing Border
Even after several complaints from neighboring states against illegal transportation of solid waste from Kerala, as many as six trucks from the state entered Karnataka on Monday, November 4. Trucks carrying tons of animal, plastic, and biomedical waste were intercepted at the Bandipur Moolehole check post. The Karnataka police have arrested seven persons in connection with the illegal transportation of waste while seizing the loads.
The Gundalpet police acted on the secret information reportedly passed by Chamarajanagar District Officer P Umashankar, according to a report by The News Minute.
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For the past several years, there have been several complaints from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka about the increasing amount of waste crossing the border from Kerala, creating environmental concerns in the neighboring states.
Earlier, activists and officials from Karnataka raised concerns over the garbage brought in from Kerala. In January 2019, authorities of the Mysuru City Corporation seized several trucks that were found dumping waste on the outskirts of the city. Following the report, there have been several instances of such trucks being seized based on the tip-offs passed by individuals. The regions in Karnataka where the wastes are being disposed are mainly Bandipur forest area, HD Kota, Chamarajnagar, Nanjangud, Mysuru, Mandya, and Kotak.
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With waste being dumped in environmentally delicate forest areas and the cities’ outskirts, many, including social activists, have demanded action against the practice.
The media house had published some investigative reports in 2023, detailing how the bordering villages in Tamil Nadu became the dump years of the waste from Kerala. The report pointed out several hospital owners dumping biomedical waste in the villages where they bought land. Reportedly, some of the hospitals are hiring agencies to dump their waste away, and many of them land in the neighboring states. The story cited testimonies of villagers who blocked trucks carrying waste to their villages.
