Kerala local body polls 2025: Rival fronts fear public anger as pollution hogs the limelight

Pollution remains a key poll plank this local body election in some of the districts as the rival fronts have made it into an active talking point among the electorate.

From incidents of acute air pollution caused by industrial emissions to the illegal discharge of untreated wastewater into waterbodies, the issue has taken centre stage amidst apprehensions among the key political parties on whether the people’s anger against the lack of action against the violators would impact the electoral outcome.

The reverberations of the agitations against a poultry waste treatment plant at Ambayathode in Kozhikode district involving more than 5,000 residents across four grama panchayats in Kozhikode district seem to have made a marked impact on the electoral landscape.

The action committee behind the protest is now actively campaigning for the success of two candidates it fielded under the banner of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), signalling that the anti-pollution movement is set to shape voter sentiment.

“Our fight is for the closure of the polluting factory and not a regulated operation. Whatever be the police action against our members, we will proceed with an intensified fight with the support of all political parties,” said Thampi Parakandathil, chief patron of the local action committee.

The long-standing issue of bad odour and poor air quality levels owing to emissions from bonemeal and rubber processing units in the Edayar industrial area has amplified the campaign for the Eloor municipality in Ernakulam. “The ruling front has not been able to act tough against the violators,” alleged P.M. Ayoob, United Democratic Front’s parliamentary party leader. He accused the Kerala State Pollution Control Board of lacking teeth as the continued emissions have caused health problems for residents.

The Left Democratic Front, which has been power in the civic body since 2015, stated that it had tried its best to address the pollution issue. “We have always supported the agitations demanding steps to resolve the issue,” said A. D Sujil, outgoing chairperson and candidate in ward 5 in this election. The Left front has fielded K.K. Muhammed Iqbal, environmental activist, as its independent candidate in ward 6 to re-affirm its position. “I have agreed to contest the polls after getting an assurance that the next council will address various pollution issues in the region,” said Mr. Iqbal. A senior official of the Pollution Control Board rejected the allegations against it while claiming that required action has been taken against the units found violating the norms.

Ashtamudi pollution

Meanwhile in Kollam, the critical environmental situation surrounding Ashtamudi Lake marked by severe pollution and encroachment has become a potent political issue in the local body elections in the region.

Opposition parties are seizing on the crisis, particularly after studies confirmed the presence of Streptococci and E. coli from sewage contamination in the lake, which was designated a Ramsar site in 2002.

“Around ₹12 crore has been spent on ‘Jeevananu Ashtamudi Jeevikkanam Ashtamudi’ project, but the waterbody remains in same condition. You can’t go to many parts of the lake because of the stink and it shows the failure of local body authorities,” alleged Bindu Krishna, former president of the District Congress Committee and member of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s Political Affairs Committee.

In 2024, the Kerala High Court issued a directive ordering the district administration to remove illegal encroachment in and around the waterbody and take immediate measures to prevent waste and effluents from polluting the Ramsar site.

Later, a study conducted by the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala, had found alarming levels of microplastic pollution in the aquatic ecosystem of Ashtamudi Lake.

“This contamination is due to the dumping of untreated domestic wastewater and sewage, alongside persistent disposal of plastic, poultry, and abattoir waste. The authorities are turning a blind eye towards the pollution of the lake and the way it affects our lives. Even after the fish kill last year, no step was taken,” alleged Sathi Devi, a resident.

(with inputs from Mithosh Joseph in Kozhikode and Navamy Sudhish in Kollam)