Chhattisgarh medical waste disposal under National Green Tribunal scanner

A CPBC report says only 181 of 740 health-care units in the state have their own treatment plants

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Chhattisgarh government to take necessary steps in connection with medical waste disposal even as hardly a fourth of health-care facilities in the state have their own treatment plants.

According to a petition filed with the tribunal by a group of social activists, the state has failed to provide any information to the Central Pollution Control Boar

 

d (CPCB) regarding the management of bio-medical waste after 2012. The board’s annual report for 2013 pointed out that Chhattisgarh has defaulted in submitting compliance. According to the last report, out of about 740 health-care facilities in Chhattisgarh only 181 have their own treatment plants. 

The rest have either applied for operation of treatment plant or for using private agencies for the purpose of treatment and handling of bio-medical waste. Moreover, health care facilities are failing at the first step itself, that is to say, there is no segregation of bio-medical waste in colour coded bags and bins; and in case where there is segregation, the waste is not being sent to biomedical waste treatment facilities for proper treatment and disposal. 

“Neither are medical facilities doing their duty nor is the prescribed authority taking notice of the situation,” Sudiep Shrivastava, a leading lawyer and one of the applicants, said. The medical waste is being constantly mixed with municipal waste and is scattered and piled up at public places even in the main districts of the State of Chhattisgarh, he added.

The Principal Bench of NGT in its order dated December 15 said: “The Tribunal is very much concerned with the situation which exists in the State of Chhattisgarh in respect of the implementation and execution of Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules.” It is a dire necessity that immediate steps be taken up by the State Government for implementation of the rules (now the Bio-Medical Management Rules, 2016). 

The spokesperson of the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) said it had received the order of the NGT and was taking necessary action for its compliance.