The Supreme Court has pulled up concerned authorities in the National Capital Region (NCR) for the dumping of biomedical waste (BMW). It also noted that the waste is not being segregated which is very dangerous due to the pandemic of Coronavirus.
Here is an excerpt from the order:
As the bio-medical waste of the corona patients is mixed with that of general patients and thrown in open, the same is going to create havoc and its requisite treatment by incinerators and disposal is required. Under the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2016, the individual hospitals can enter into a contract only with the State Pollution Board approved Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facility (the Contractor) who collects the waste from the 9 hospitals and manages the disposal of the waste. The tracking of biomedical waste generated; collected; processed and recycled needs to be improved urgently by adopting the bar-code system, as specified in the 2016 Rules which has not yet been implemented completely.
Naming the hospitals which have not adopted the bar code system as per the EPCA Report, the SC proposed an urgent meeting between representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi Pollution Control Board and EPCA, Central Government, Delhi Government and National Capital Region, including Corporations.
The order states:
Let notice be issued to the hospitals and they are directed to ensure that bio-medical waste is not dumped in the open area and properly segregated and disposed of. Let a concrete action plan be prepared in this regard with respect to bio-medical waste and be submitted to this Court before the next date of hearing.
The SC also issued a notice to BMW contractors including Biotic Waste Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Synergy Waste Pvt. Ltd., Meerut, and Medicare Environmental Management Pvt. Ltd, Hapur contractors to respond before the next date of hearing.
Read the complete Supreme Court order here.