Bengaluru: Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) Chairman Lakshman along with senior environmental officer A. Ramesh on Saturday visited Nimhans and St. John’s Hospital to verify compliance with the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 and found unscientific collection, segregation and storage of biomedical waste.
They said that a notice will be issued to Nimhans, St. John’s Hospital and the BBMP. The officials said that Nimhans has an agreement with Maridi Eco Industries Pvt Ltd, a common biomedical waste treatment facility, for disposal of biomedical waste. The cost of disposing of the waste is not based on the quantity, but on monthly basis.
When the records between November 2015 and February 2016 were checked, there were large variations in the daily generation quantity up to extent of 100%. The officials said this needs to be verified further. The officials said that the basis for fixing a monthly amount for treatment and disposal should be based on estimated quantity.
During the inspection, the officials found that colour coding was not being followed and black bags were being used to store medical waste. The waste was also not weighed before handing it over to CBMWTF, they said.
