PUNE, Sept 30: The Union ministry of environment and forests has issued a notification for the implementation of bio-medical waste (management and handling) rules, and directed municipal corporations to enforce them.The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), which had received a copy this week, has set the ball rolling to include all the 86 civic and private hospitals.The PCMC has already installed an incinerator at Yeshwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) which is being used for disposal of medical waste from all the hospitals in the twin township.Assistant medical officer K Nagkumar said nearly 400 kg of medical waste is treated every day. The PCMC has identified four divisional collection centres for medical waste at Talera Hospital, Akurdi Hospital, Jeejamata Hospital, and Bhosari besides a central collection centre at the YCMH.The rules stipulate that the waste should not harm health and environment. All hospitals, nursing homes, dispensaries, veterinary institutions, blood banks and pathological laboratories are required to apply to the municipal corporation for disposing the waste after necessary verification of the equipment and other facilities for treatment.The rules also state that the bio-medical waste should not be mixed with other waste and should be put into labelled containers. Untreated waste is to be transported only in specified vehicles. No such waste is to be stored for more than 48 hours. The institution must seek permission if the waste is to be stored for more than 48 hours.The notification has listed ten categories of bio-medical waste, the process of their treatment and disposal and colour coding of the containers. The categories include human anatomical waste, animal waste, microbiology and biotechnology waste, discarded medicines and cytotoxic drugs, solid and liquid waste, incinerator ash and chemical waste.According to the schedule for installation of incinerators, autoclaves and microwave systems, for towns with population of over 30 lakhs, a deadline of December 31, 1999 has been set. In towns with population below thirty lakh, the deadlines fixed for intallation of facilities are: December 31, 1999 for hospitals with 500 beds and above, December 31, 2000 for hospitals with 200 to 500 beds, December 31, 2001 for hospitals with 50 to 200 beds, December 31, 2002 for hospitals with less than 50 beds, and other institutions generating bio-medical waste.Every hospital is required to submit an annual report before January 31 about the categories and quantities of bio-medical wastes handled during the preceding year. The municipal corporation is required to submit a compiled report to Central Pollution Control Board by March 31 every year.
