Improper Bio-Medical Waste Management During Covid-19 Can Increase Infection Rate: Study

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, 32996 metric tons of bio-medical waste was accumulated, which has increased the risk of infection in 23 states.

Improper Bio Medical Waste Management | File Image

For more than a year now, the corona pandemic has plagued the world. With the increasing number of Covid-19 patients, there has been a substantial increase in the generation of biomedical waste. Local authorities have to deal with the problem of the disposal of biomedical waste and waste management.

For example, the injections given to corona patients, clothes, and belongings used by the corona patients during illness, contain dangerous chemicals. Dumping it randomly increases the risk of corona infection.

Proper disposal of bio-medical waste has always been a challenge for India. The outbreak of Covid -19 has further increased the problem. Government and private hospitals produce 10 times more medical waste owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

To save the cost of its disposal, hospitals are throwing medical waste in the open by mixing it with normal waste, which can cause many diseases.

No Waste Disposal System In 70 % States

The International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS) has found in its study that the risk of corona infection has increased in 23 states due to improper disposal of bio-medical waste. A study has recently been published in the Journal of Waste Management and Research. This study included the effects of disposal of biomedical waste before and during corona.

It was found that 70% of the states lack Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facilities (CBMWTF) for the disposal of bio-medical waste. Only 12 states are following the new rules for biomedical waste disposal.

According to the study, there are only 200 CBMWTF in India. For a country like India, such a small number of CBMWTF is a matter of concern. 

Situation In Maharashtra 'Worse'

IIPS professor Aparajita Chattopadhyay who supervised the study said: "Special initiatives are needed for its disposal in the states producing more than 100 metric tonnes of bio-medical waste".

Leading researcher Rahul Rajak said that the hill states urgently need special management. According to the data of the Central Pollution Control Board, 70 percent of the total biomedical waste in the country is generated only in Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Delhi.

According to the data, between June and December 2020 last year, 32996 metric tonnes of biomedical waste was produced in India, and about 70% of it was Covid waste. The situation in Maharashtra is the worst as 989 metric tonnes of Corona Bio-Medical Waste was generated.