By The Hindu Bureau
Copyright thehindu
As many as 78 urban local bodies in the State have imposed a total penalty of around ₹75 lakh for illegal waste dumping in public spaces and waterbodies in the current fiscal.
Of these, 16 local bodies have collected a penalty of above ₹1 lakh each from those responsible for violation of the norms under the Solid Waste Management Rules and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, according to the data compiled by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board as of September 1, 2025.
The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation imposed a penalty of ₹22.01 lakh. Health squads deployed to prevent illegal waste dumping carried out over 11,500 inspections this fiscal. About 2,300 inspections were held during night hours.
The Thripunithura Municipality in Ernakulam imposed a penalty of around ₹5.04 lakh after carrying out over 180 inspections. The Perinthalmanna Municipality collected a penalty of ₹4.55 lakh in the current fiscal. Health squads there carried out over 180 inspections.
The Palakkad Municipality imposed a total penalty of ₹4.09 lakh this fiscal against illegal waste dumping in public spaces and waterbodies. Health and night squads of the civic body carried out a total of about 900 inspections.
The enforcement against illegal waste dumping was stepped up after the government amended the Kerala Municipality Act and the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act from December 8, 2023. The spot fine was raised from ₹250 to ₹5,000 in both rural and urban areas. The fine for dumping waste was increased from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000.
The government’s waste-free Kerala campaign had also recommended stringent action against those found dumping biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste in public spaces and waterbodies that included canals, lakes and rivers.
