Tamil Nadu should carry out an inventory of the number of healthcare facilities, their biomedical waste (BMW) generation — collection, treatment and disposal — within three months, and should also restrict the practice of deep burials of such waste, the Central Pollution Control Board recommended in a report to the National Green Tribunal.
The CPCB carried out studies and prepared a scale of compensation to be recovered from violators based on a direction by the NGT in March in a case related to non-compliance of BMW rules by States.
The CPCB report
In the report filed by the CPCB with the NGT, the CPCB said Tamil Nadu had not completed an inventory of biomedical waste-generating healthcare facilities, was not implementing authorisation to non-bedded healthcare facilities like clinics, laboratories completely and was using deep pits for disposal of biomedical waste.
The report also found shortcomings such as non-submission of details of common biomedical waste treatment facilities.
The submission of the CPCB was mentioned by the Principal Bench as part of an order in a case filed by Jawaharlal Shanmugam regarding handling of biomedical waste in Tamil Nadu.
Disposing of the case, the Principal Bench asked him to present his views related to Tamil Nadu in the other case being dealt by the Bench on the same issue.
Three months’ time
The CPCB’s report recommended Tamil Nadu to ensure that authorisation is provided to non-bedded healthcare facilities and the barcode system is implemented at every healthcare facility (HCF) within a period of three months.
“Evolve a mechanism for monitoring compliance by healthcare facilties for segregation in colour-coded bins/containers, pre-treatment to laboratory waste, separate biomedical waste storage space, liquid waste treatment within one month,” the CPCB said in its report.
