Another Covid challenge

Context: A critical offshoot of the pandemic that is being overlooked is the safe disposal of biomedical waste. There is an urgent need to revamp the biomedical waste management infrastructure and ensure strict adherence to the safety norms

Issues surrounding the disposal of Biomedical Waste:

• No Adherence to guidelines: issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

• Discarded personal protective equipment (PPE) and other unsafe material get mixed with regular or household garbage.
• It increases the risk of exposure (virus) to the sanitation workers, garbage collectors and rag pickers.

• Lack of awareness: Most people are not aware of the dangers of improper handling of the corona-wastes like masks, gloves, aprons, swabs and syringes.
• Apathy of urban local bodies: Most of them have failed to put in place the required systems for collection, segregation, logistics, and risk-free elimination of infectious material.
• Lack of infrastructure: Infrastructure has not been ramped up in tandem with the spike in corona cases.

• Increased generation of waste: from 500 grams per bed daily during normal times to 2.5-3 kgs after the outbreak.
• Stagnant biomedical treatment units: These units have not grown concerning the waste generation, remaining static at around 200.

Way Forward: 

• Segregation and handling of the waste: to be initiated at the source and putting it in double layers bags of distinct yellow colour as specified by the CPCB.
• The waste needs to be transported separately to the waste-to-energy plants where it can be incinerated for energy generation.
• Massive awareness drive: Is imperative to make people conscious of the hazard pf improper handling of PPE and other biomedical wastes.