Facility created at Una to dispose of Covid waste

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 19

The Covid-specific bio medical waste, including PPE kits, masks and gloves being generated by hospitals across the state is almost double the average waste generation by other medical needs.

It is in order to ensure proper disposal of this increased generation of hospital waste that the state government has enhanced its bio-medical waste disposal facility from 2.4 MT per day to 6.4 MT per day. Since May 2020, about 385 MT of Covid waste has been generated and disposed of in the state through common as well as captive disposal facilities.

At present generation of approximately 2.63 MT per day of Covid waste is being reported by the different institutions, besides an average generation of 1.46 MT per day of bio-medical waste, which is being disposed of through these common facilities.

Sensing urgent need for augmenting capacity for disposal of medical waste, one new Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility (CBWTF) established by M/S Enviro Engineer at Pandoga, Una district has been authorised for the task.

Till now there were only two CBWTFs in the state at Sandli in Solan district and at Dugiari in Kangra district, catering to the requirements of various health care institutions across the state. Himachal has an inventory of 8,921 health care institutions, which falls under the ambit of the Biomedical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2016.

About 90 per cent of the waste generated by these health care institutions is disposed through common facilities and approximately 10 per cent through captive treatment and disposal facility (deep burial). The Covid pandemic has put-up additional burden on the bio-medical waste disposal infrastructure with a significant increase in generation of Covid-specific waste, more so as this waste has to be disposed of as per the guidelines prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board.

The State Pollution Control Board is regularly monitoring the bio medical waste management so as to ensure that it is strictly in accordance with the laid down guidelines.