Biomedical waste rules given go-by in state: CAG

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, April 2

Rules on management of bio- medical waste (BMW) were being given a go by in Haryana due to poor implementation of Bio Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998 exposing human beings, creatures and plants to serious hazards.

This has been pointed out in a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). Records of the offices of the chairman, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), Director General of Health Services and four out of 12 Regional Offices (ROs) of the HSPCB were checked in January and February, 2014 to ascertain the extent of compliance of the rules.

Shockingly, in between 2009 - 2014 the board was to conduct 40,788 inspections to ensure proper implementation of the Rules but it did only 1403 inspections (merely 3 per cent of the prescribed norms).

The Rules provide that human anatomical waste or animal waste is to be incinerated or buried deep to prevent infections to human beings, the microbiological and biotechnological wastes, waste sharps and solid waste are required to be treated in an autoclave and BMWs in the form of plastics are required to be shredded and disposed in landfills.

However, in 13 per cent of HCEs, untreated BMWs, such as human anatomical wastes, placenta, syringes, needles, blades and cotton soaked with blood etc was being mixed with municipal waste, in 11 per cent cases these items were being thrown in the open, 29 per cent HCEs were selling untreated harmful BMWs as scrap and in 59 per cent cases puncture proof polythene bags for carrying sharp BMWs like needles and blades were not being used.

The CAG report also points towards serious lapses by the service providers in the operation of Common Treatment Facilities (CTFs).

Rules provide that CTF operators would dispose hazardous waste through the Treatment Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDF) set up at Pali in Faridabad.

But the TSDF operator informed that five out of the 10 CTF operators in the state had not even entered in to an agreement with them for the final disposal of the ashes generated from their incinerators.

The report said that two out of the three CTF operators had not immunized their staff for diseases.