Segregation of Covid-19 waste must to prevent contamination: NGT

To prevent risk of contamination from the coronavirus, the National Green Tribunal on Tuesday said segregation of Covid-19 waste from others is a must.

The NGT Principal Bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said that scientific management of such waste is necessary in view of potential of such infectious waste affecting patients and the concerned workers and professionals.

Generation of Covid-19 related biomedical waste in the country is about 101 metric tonnes per day, the Green Bench noted.

“This quantity is in addition to normal biomedical waste generation of about 609 MT per day. Further, about 195 Common Biomedical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facilities are providing the services of collection, transportation and disposal of Covid-19 biomedical waste from hospitals, isolation wards, quarantine centres, home quarantines, home care, sample collection centres and testing laboratories,” the tribunal noted.

It said that as per the information given by state pollution control boards, 2,907 hospitals, 20,707 quarantine centres, 1,539 sample collection centres and 264 testing laboratories, are involved in generation of Covid-19 waste.

“There has to be constant and regular monitoring by the Chief Secretaries, State Pollution Control Boards and Health Departments in the States/ UTs and by the High Level Task Team at Central level with further coordination by Central Pollution Control Board, ” the tribunal said.

The green panel had earlier directed a team, comprising the Centre and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to supervise handling and scientific disposal of Covid-19 waste in accordance with the guidelines.