Kerala Govt Forms Wetland Unit After Court's Ashtamudi Warning

The Kerala government has issued an order to establish the Ashtamudi Wetland Management Unit, a critical step towards addressing pollution and environmental threats to the Kollam district's vital wetland. This action follows the Kerala High Court's expressed dissatisfaction with the delay in its constitution. The order, dated January 7, designates the District Collector as the chairperson, fulfilling a July 2025 court mandate. A contempt plea was filed by a lawyer alleging non-compliance with previous directives aimed at conserving the Ashtamudi wetland.

The Ashtamudi lake, designated a Ramsar site in 2002, has faced severe pollution, encroachments, and siltation, drastically reducing its area and depth. Reports from the Kerala Legislative Assembly's Committee on Environment and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board have highlighted significant health risks due to poor waste management, including open defecation and direct discharge of toilet waste into the waterbody. This environmental degradation threatens mangrove forests and crucial fish-breeding grounds, jeopardizing the livelihoods of local fishers.

In March 2023, a legislative committee report detailed widespread pollution from human waste, chemicals, and untreated commercial waste entering the wetland. Sand mining, unregulated housing, and pesticide use further exacerbate the issues. The National Green Tribunal had previously imposed a ₹10 crore penalty on the state government for failing to protect Ashtamudi Lake and other wetlands, prompting the public interest litigation that led to the recent court intervention.