The Kerala government has deposited about ₹335 crore in a separate, ring-fenced account of the Department of Local Self-Governments towards setting up common sewage and faecal treatment plants to check pollution of the Vembanad and Ashtamudi lakes, among other projects.
The decision is a follow-up of the order issued by the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in New Delhi in March 2023 imposing a penalty of ₹10 crore on the Kerala government for its failure to check indiscriminate pollution of the lakes, listed as Ramsar sites.