The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) to file within three months a report on the gaps in the scientific disposal of biomedical waste generated in the State.
The board will also have to update on the progress of establishing an additional Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF) in the State. “So three months’ time is granted for filing a detailed report regarding the progress for the establishment of the Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility in Kerala and also the total biomedical waste generated, the manner of collection, and the manner of disposal after verifying the records maintained in the existing CBWTF in Palakkad,” said the order issued by the Bench of Justice K. Ramakrishnan and expert member Saibal Dasgupta on May 5.
The directive was given while hearing the original application number 43 of 2017 that relates exclusively to the implementation of biomedical waste rules in Kerala. The government departments had requested more time.
The Bench directed the PCB to ascertain how much biomedical waste that is being collected is disposed of and the manner being adopted for its scientific disposal after verifying the records maintained in the CBWTF in Palakkad.
Data from IMAGE
If there is any gap, they [board] are also expected to find the manner in which these things were disposed of, and if there is any violation in the action taken against violators, and to submit a detailed report.
The board should also submit its future plan of action to remedy the situation of filling the gap in disposal of biomedical waste in the State.
