Kadambrayar pollution: Kerala State Pollution Control Board starts inspecting erring units to fix environmental compensation

Key points

• The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has initiated physical verification of sources responsible for the illegal discharge of untreated wastewater into the Kadambrayar river in Ernakulam district in Kerala as part of fixing the environmental compensation based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle.
• The inspections started on Thursday (May 21, 2026) after the Southern Bench of the Green Tribunal, which took suo motu cognisance of the pollution of the Kadambrayar river based on a report published in The Hindu, directed the board to take further action against the violators based on the report submitted by the Department of Local Self-Government on February 19, 2025. The local bodies sharing the banks of the river, including Kochi Corporation, Thrikkakara municipality, Kunnathunad, Kizhakkambalam and Edathala panchayats, had submitted the details of those responsible for the unauthorised discharge of untreated wastewater into the Kadambrayar.
• The board officials stated that a final count of the...