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NGT Orders IIT-Madras Study on Neyveli Pollution
15 Aug
Summary
- NGT orders TNPCB to issue Terms of Reference to IIT-Madras.
- A comprehensive scientific study will investigate Neyveli pollution.
- Court seeks timeline for the pollution study by IIT-Madras.
The National Green Tribunal's Southern Bench has mandated that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) issue the Terms of Reference to IIT-Madras. This directive initiates a comprehensive scientific study into pollution concerns surrounding Neyveli.
The Tribunal, on August 12, 2026, addressed reports of alleged pollution and mercury presence near Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) India. Differences among members of a prior technical committee prompted the NGT to entrust the study to IIT-Madras.
Previously, on July 15, 2026, the NGT noted discrepancies in TNPCB's water sampling results. While some analyses found heavy metals like mercury and selenium below quantification levels, TNPCB's own lab detected mercury in several surface water samples, though within prescribed standards.
A high-level committee inspected the area in July 2025, but its members submitted individual reports with differing conclusions, unable to pinpoint the contamination source without further investigation into hydrogeology and local industries.
The TNPCB has been ordered to submit a status report detailing the Terms of Reference issued to IIT-Madras and the study's timeline. The case is scheduled for further hearing on September 25, 2026.
