COVID-19: WBPCB preparing report on bio-medical waste disposal
The board will submit the report to the National GreenTribunal in the next month for its consideration, he said.
The report will record how the health and urbandevelopment departments and state agencies concerned areconforming to the guidelines of the Central Pollution ControlBoard (CPCB) for scientific and hygienic disposal of medicalwaste generated at COVID-19 hospitals and quarantine centres,a top WBPCB official told .
"We are not regulator and don't have that mandate. We,as watchdog, will record how the guidelines are being compliedwith and prepare a dossier which will be submitted to the NGTin June," the official said.
Using double layered bags, mandatory labelling andcolour coded bins for the management of waste generated duringthe diagnosis and treatment of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients are part of the guidelines issued by the CPCB.
The apex pollution monitoring body said specificguidelines are required to be followed by all, includingisolation wards, quarantine centres, sample collectioncentres, laboratories, ULBs and common biomedical wastetreatment and disposal facilities, in addition to existingpractices under the BMW Management Rules, 2016.
The guidelines included the use of proper face shieldand other personal protective equipment for those involved inthe disposal work, the official said.
He also said the government agencies have been givencopies of the CPCB guidelines at a recent meeting with health,urban development and municipal affairs departments.
"We have urged them to strictly follow all the norms,"he said.
A health department official said the guidelines havebeen framed based on the inputs taken from the management ofdiseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS),tuberculosis (TB), H1N1 and HIV. SUSBDC BDC