19 December,2020 07:06 AM IST | Mumbai | A correspondent
In November, Mumbai generated an average 19,000 kg of medical waste daily, half of which came from BMC hospitals. Representation pic
To reduce the harmful effects of medical waste at its hospitals, the BMC has decided to disinfect the discarded material at source before its final disposal. The civic body will spend Rs 14 crore on the project, said officials.
The move follows central guidelines on management and handling of biomedical waste. The corporation plans to disinfect the waste at 41 civic-run hospitals and clinics, including four major and 17 peripheral hospitals and many maternity homes.
It has appointed Sanmit Infra Limited to set up a microwave-based system to sterilise the biomedical waste. The civic body will pay Rs. 14.16 crore for the machinery and maintenance for five years.
As per the existing practice, the BMC has appointed a private contractor to manage medical waste, which is transported to a treatment plant near Deonar dumping ground where it is disposed of after incineration.
However, medical waste must be disinfected at the source to reduce any harmful effect, according to a 2016 notification by the Centre.
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The metropolis generated about 11,000 to 12,000 kilograms of biowaste daily, half of which came from BMC hospitals, before the COVID crisis began. It then went up to 23,000 kg. The average daily load in November was 19,000 kg. This waste includes syringes, medicines, gloves, urine bags, body fluid or blood-soaked tissues or cotton or body parts removed during operations.
"There will be separate plants at every hospital with a capacity of disinfecting 30 kg waste per hour. After disinfecting the waste, it will be safe to handle and transport for disposal," said an officer with the BMC.
The official added that there was a plan to instal incineration systems at every hospital but it wasn't feasible as these facilities are surrounded by residential areas and the gas produced will add to air pollution.
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