The Times of India 17.12.2019
Wanted: Disposal unit in each district in Chennai
TCHENNAI:
Following a directive from the National Green Tribunal, the district
administration set up a monitoring committee in September and formulated
an environment plan for Chennai.
According to the committee, which
met two weeks ago, 825 healthcare facilities operate in Chennai
district, but there are only two centres to treat biomedical waste they
generate. These centres also cater to the waste from Tiruvallur,
Kancheepuram and Cuddalore districts.
Activists
said two centres were inadequate. “Every district should have a common
biomedical waste treatment facility,” said environmental activist
Jawaharlal Shanmugam, who has been fighting the state pollution
regulator at various forums including the National Green Tribunal.
Jawaharlal
said a general practitioner treating 40 patients a day at a clinic can
generate 100 grams of biomedical waste. “Authorities are saying that we
are generating 70,000 tonnes per year across all hospitals and clinics
in the state, which is nothing compared to the number of healthcare
facilities we have,” he said.
“For entire TN, there are only eight
operational common biomedical waste treatment facilities. This is
insufficient. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat have more than 20 such
facilities,” Jawaharlal said.
In the district committee meeting, a plan of action was chalked out to treat biomedical waste.
The
corporation’s health officers, officials of the public health
department and pollution control board have been told to provide a list
of bedded, non-bedded hospitals, blood banks, clinical labs in the
district, after which all the facilities are to avail authorization from
the pollution control board. It was decided that efforts will be made
to set up a full-fledged common biomedical waste treatment facility
within one year.
“The committee will ensure that biomedical waste
management rules are complied with by tracking the collection vehicles
and checking if the quantity loaded on the vehicles matches the waste
generated,” a committee member said.