‘SPCBs to ensure compliance on biomedical wastes’

The National Green Tribunal Tuesday directed every biomedical waste management facility across the country to obtain authorisation from state pollution control boards while asking the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)  to ensure strict compliance of Bio Medical Waste Management Rules.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said it is utmost necessary to ensure that hazardous bio-medical waste is not mixed with the general waste.

   

“CPCB needs to review the compliance status from time to time, at least once in every quarter and issue directions based on the observations from the reports received,” the bench said.

The tribunal said that environmental compensation of Rs 7.17 crore and Rs 85 lakh, which have been imposed against 130 Health Care Facilities and six Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facilities, respectively for violation of bio waste management rules be recovered.

“CPCB may ensure that for strict compliance of the rules, the compensation regime is duly applied against the defaulters, following due process. Standards of handling of BMW need to be duly complied.

“The authorities must ensure that waste is disposed of only through authorized agencies, common facilities are located as per sitting guidelines and they must have EC. There should be no pilferage by unauthorized recyclers. Adequate number of common bio-medical facilities should be set up,” the bench said.

The Chief Secretaries of all the States/UTs may oversee compliance atleast every quarter, the tribunal said adding that the chief secretaries may ensure that authorisation is secured by every health care facility in their respective jurisdiction and also there is adherence to the norms.

“Similarly, the District Magistrates may, at their level, take necessary steps in their Districts, in accordance with the District Environmental Plans. While permitting deep  burials, it may be ensured that ground water contamination does not take place,” the bench said. The CPCB told the tribunal on Tuesday that over 1.60 lakh health-care facilities (HCF) across the country have not obtained requisite permission under Bio-medical Waste Management (BMWM) Rules and are running without authorisation. The apex pollution monitoring body told the green panel that as per the annual report submitted by State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), out of 2,70,416 health-care facilities, only 1,11,122 units have applied for authorisation and 1,10,356 HCFs have obtained authorisation under BMWM Rules, 2016.

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