During COVID-19 Pandemic, India Generated Over 656 Tons of Biomedical Waste Daily: Government Report

Further, about 84.61 TPD of incremental COVID-19 biomedical waste was generated between May 2020 to February 2022 from healthcare facilities, quarantine centres/camps, sample collection centres, laboratories, home care/home isolations centres engaged in treatment, diagnosis and quarantine of COVID-19 infected or suspected patients, Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

The Central Pollution Control Board had issued guidelines for handling, treatment and disposal of waste generated during treatment, diagnostics and quarantine of COVID-19 patients in March 2020. It had also developed an application, named COVID19BWM, to track the generation and treatment of this waste in the treatment facilities, he added.

The Minister said that there are no reported cases of violation of guidelines, but the CPCB has issued notices to 33 facilities across the country for not reporting data on COVID19BWM.

There are 208 common biomedical waste treatment facilities operational in the country as per the information furnished by SPCBs/PCCs for 2020, and there are none in nine states/Union Territories. The BMW treatment and disposal in these areas is done through captive treatment facilities operated by healthcare facilities themselves, he added.

**

The above article has been published from a wire agency with minimal modifications to the headline and text.