EPCA takes stock of bio-medical waste disposal in Gurugram

Gurugram: Chairman of Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA), Bhure Lal, on Friday inspected the bio-medical treatment facility at Medanta –  the Medicity and Sector-37 to take stock of the collection, treatment and disposal of biomedical waste in Gurugram.

The EPCA chief was accompanied by Sunita Narayan, renowned environmentalist and representative of the Center for Science and Environment and a team of the Central Pollution Control Board. The team understood the entire process and inspected the Bio Medical Waste Collection Center.

During the inspection, Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Amit Khatri, MCG Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, Vikas Malik from GMDA, Regional Officers of Pollution Control Board Kuldeep Singh and Shakti Singh, ACP Traffic Akhil Kumar were among the officials present.

Bhure Lal said that after collecting the bio medical waste in the hospital, each bag should have a 'QR Code' or 'Bar Code' to ascertain the type and weight of the garbage in the bag and the detailed data to be uploaded on the website of the state and central pollution control board. 

“This will enable tracing of the origin of the waste and its disposal site. The officials of the state and central pollution control boards will also be able to know how much biomedical waste was generated in which hospital and how much of it reached the disposal site.” He said.

During the inspection, he asked the officials of the Medanta Hospital to use different colour-coded containers on the collection centre to collect bio-medical waste and other waste so that the staff involved in this task had no trouble collecting the waste separately.

Dr Avadhesh Kumar Dubey of Medanta informed that 900 to 1,500 kg of biomedical waste and 600 kg of wet waste generated daily in the Medanta hospital. The biomedical waste is sent for processing at the unit in Sector-37 while processing kitchen waste is done at the compost plant adjacent to the hospital.

The EPCA chief directed the officials of the HSPCB to ensure that the hospitals and clinics are in complete adherence to the bio-medical waste management (BMW) rules 2016.

The EPCA chairman also directed the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to ensure night patrolling so that no person or institution disposes of the garbage in the areas of Aravali or any other unauthorised place. He also stressed on proper disposal of construction and demolition waste and asked officials to ensure that all the C&D waste generated in the city reached the processing unit and disposed of properly.