CPCB files compliance report on medical management in COVID times

The Central Pollution Control Board has filed its compliance report to the National Green Tribunal on scientific disposal of biomedical waste (BMW) during the COVID pandemic.

Some of the highlights of the report, titled Scientific Disposal of Bio-Medical Waste arising out of Covid-19 treatment – Compliance of Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016, are given below:

1. States like Andaman & Nicobar, Arunachal Pradesh, Daman & Diu, Goa, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura do not have Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF) to treat and dispose of the biomedical waste. Respective State Boards should initiate steps to set up Common Treatment Facilities so as to avoid usage of deep burial pits in long term.

2. States namely Assam, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, and Uttarakhand should examine the existing treatment capacity with CBWTF and may facilitate setting up of more treatment facilities to cater to biomedical waste generation including COVID19 waste.

3. As per the status reports received from SPCBs, guidelines issued by CPCB have been followed in every State/UT and the COVID19 biomedical waste is being treated & disposed of through CBWTF and other authorized facilities.

4. The capacity of incinerators operated by common facilities across the country has been adequate during the pandemic situation except in few cities namely Thane, Pune, and Chennai. The existing capacity of CBWTFs in such cities needs to be upgraded.

5. The initial situation in cities like Delhi was improved after the effective segregation of solid waste.

6. Real-time generation of COVID19 waste is being tracked effectively through COVID19BMW tracking App developed by CPCB. Usage of this App may continue till the prevalence of the pandemic situation.

7. Localized high incidences of COVID19 disease, may lead to a situation where the capacity of CBWTFs in coverage area may become inadequate, and in such cases SPCBs and PCCs are required to act proactively and facilitate sending excess biomedical waste to nearby common hazardous waste incinerators at TSDFs or industrial incinerators.

8. State Boards namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh confirmed that deep burials are not being used for disposal of COVID-19 biomedical waste.

Picture Credit: Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels