BIO-MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT IN GUWAHATI CITY

Abstract

Bio-medical waste management refers to the management of waste which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities pertaining thereto or in the production or testing of biologicals. The Ministry of Environment and Forests notified the BMW Rules in July, 1998. Since then, three amendments have been done in the Rules (March 2000, June 2000 and September 2003). Almost eight years have passed since the first notification, but still heaps of bio-medical wastes such as bandages, plaster casts, syringe, saline bottles, catheters, tubing, blood/urine bags etc. are sometimes observed in Municipal bins and low-lying areas in Guwahati city. This portrays that the situation of BMW management in Guwahati is grim and therefore needs serious attention. To carry out the study, the hospitals were categorized based on bed capacity. From each category, one sample hospital was monitored to obtain the daily waste generation and the percentages of infectious, non-infectious and sharps waste. About 1290 kg of bio-medical wastes is generated everyday in the city. Out of which, infectious waste comprises between 15% to 45% and sharps comprises between 1% to 3%. The BMW management practice in all the hospitals of the city has been analyzed. Obvious gaps have been identified between the present management practice and the BMW Rules. To fill up the gap, a management plan is proposed which covers all aspects of segregation at the point of generation, collection and transportation to a common facility, treatment and disposal at the common facility. As a part of the plan, the capacity of transport vehicle, transport route, time of collection and the CBWTF have been designed. The initial investment for the CBWTF, its O&M cost, the pay back period has been calculated and the cess has been proposed.