COVID-19: WBPCB preparing report on bio-medical waste disposal

The West Bengal Pollution Control Board is preparing a report on compliance of guidelines for proper disposal of biomedical waste generated at hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, an official said on Saturday. The board will submit the report to the National Green Tribunal in the next month for its consideration, he said.

The report will record how the health and urban development departments and state agencies concerned are conforming to the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for scientific and hygienic disposal of medical waste generated at COVID-19 hospitals and quarantine centers, a top WBPCB official told PTI. "We are not a regulator and don't have that mandate. We, as a watchdog, will record how the guidelines are being complied with and prepare a dossier which will be submitted to the NGT in June," the official said.

Using double-layered bags, mandatory labeling, and color-coded bins for the management of waste generated during the 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 specific guidelines are required to be followed by all, including isolation wards, quarantine centers, sample collection centers, laboratories, ULBs, and common biomedical waste treatment and disposal facilities, in addition to existing practices under the BMW Management Rules, 2016.

The guidelines included the use of proper face shield and other personal protective equipment for those involved in the disposal work, the official said. He also said the government agencies have been given copies 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 have been framed based on the inputs taken from the management of diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), tuberculosis (TB), H1N1, and HIV.