5000 health facilities get showcause notices for pollution

New Delhi: Nearly 5,000 health care facilities have been issued showcause notices for not disposing off biomedical waste in an environmentally safe manner, the Centre today said.

Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave in a written reply in Lok Sabha said that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2015 has reported that 1,69,913 health care facilities (HCFs) generate approximately 495.30 tonnes of biomedical waste per day.

"21,491 health care facilities have in house treatment and disposal facilities and 1,38,001 HCFs are using Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facilities (CBWTFs) for disposal of biomedical waste in environmentally sound manner.

"There were reported violations of provisions of Biomedical Waste Rules by approximately 5,980 HCFs/CBWTFs and 4,965 such defaulting institutions have been issued showcause notices or directions to comply with the Rules," Dave said.

The Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2016 require that the effluent generated or treated from the premises of HCFs should conform to the specified standard as provided in Schedule II (8) before their discharge into the sewer.

State Pollution Control Boards and Committees have been authorized under the Rules to enforce the said provision, Dave added.