Kerala Reclaims Land from Mountains of Trash

As of July 2026, Kerala has successfully reclaimed about 121 acres of land through the processing of approximately 15.45 tonnes of legacy waste from 29 dump sites across the state. Remediation efforts have been completed at 29 out of 59 identified legacy dump sites. Work is ongoing at 20 other sites, with the remaining 10 yet to begin. A total of around 4.1 lakh tonnes of waste requires scientific remediation across these locations. Officials attribute delays in the remediation process to adverse weather, including prolonged rainfall, which made haul roads inaccessible and created unsafe working conditions. State Assembly elections also contributed to administrative delays. Despite these challenges, the remediation process is expected to exceed initial schedules at most sites. In Kochi, the Mayor has urged the agency involved in biomining legacy waste at the Brahmapuram dump site to complete the work within the next six months, with an anticipated completion by May 2027.