1,693 facilities generating bio-medical waste without nod, says PPCB

It is difficult to monitor them as they don’t have necessary authorisation. KRUNESH GARG, PPCB member secretary

MOGA : As many as 1,693 government and private healthcare facilities in the state are generating large quantities of bio-medical waste on a daily basis without mandatory approval of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) which has no clue about how and where it is disposed.

In a report submitted in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on December 31, the PPCB said these facilities have not attained its go-ahead under the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016. Expressing deep concern over the non-compliance, NGT ordered strict action against these facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, dispensaries, veterinary institutions, pathological laboratories, blood banks, Ayush hospitals and forensic labs, and directed the chief secretary to oversee compliance of Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules at least every quarter.

The tribunal observed that unscientific disposal of bio-medical waste can potentially lead to serious diseases such as AIDS, gastrointestinal infection, genital infection, respiratory infection, eye infection, skin infection, anthrax, meningitis, haemorrhagic fever, septicaemia and viral hepatitis. Besides environmental pollution, there is the threat of growth of vectors like insects, rodents and worms, it added. The state has five common bio-medical waste treatment facilities in Mohali, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Muktsar and Pathankot that are authorised by the board. These facilities with a capacity of treating 29.1 tonnes daily are being utilised up to 55% only.

Also, there were 3,139 incidents of violation pertaining to treatment and disposal of biomedical waste, the report says.

PPCB member secretary Krunesh Garg said they do not have information about the quantity of waste generated and handled by these healthcare facilities. “It is difficult to monitor them as they don’t have necessary authorisation. Most of these are government facilities. These may be closed besides imposing penalty. But we will not close any right now in view of the pandemic,” Garg added.

Dr Navjot Dahiya, president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA)’s Punjab chapter, said, “We always work as per the law. If we find any member of our association violating the rules, we will guide them to follow the same.”