Assessment of bio-medical waste before and during the emergency of novel Coronavirus disease pandemic in India: A gap analysis

Abstract

Considering the widespread transmission of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) globally, India is also facing the same crisis. As India already has inadequate waste treatment facilities, and the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has led to significant growth of Bio-medical waste (BMW), consequently safe disposal of a large quantity of waste has become a more serious concern. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of BMW of India before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this article highlights the gaps in the implementation of BMW rules in India. This study uses various government and non-government organizations, reports and data specifically from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The finding of the study demonstrated that most of the States/Union Territories (UTs) of India are lacking in terms of COVID-19 waste management. India has generated over 32,996 mt of COVID-19 waste between June and December 2020. During this period, Maharashtra (789.99 mt/month) is highest average generator of COVID-19 waste, followed by Kerala (459.86 mt/month), Gujarat (434.87 mt/month), Tamil Nadu (427.23 mt/month), Uttar Pradesh (371.39 mt/month), Delhi (358.83 mt/month) and West Bengal (303.15 mt/month), and others respectively. We draw attention to the fact that many gaps were identified with compliance of BMW management rules. For example, out of all 35 States/UTs, health care facilitates (HCFs), only eight states received authorization as per BMW management rules. Moreover, the government strictly restricted the practice of deep burials; however, 23 States/UTs are still using the deep burial methods for BMW disposal. The present research suggests that those States/UTs generated on an average of 100 mt/month COVID-19 waste in the last 7 months (June–December 2020) should be considered as a high priority state. These states need special attention to implement BMW rules and should upgrade their BMW treatment capacity.

Personal protective equipment-derived pollution during Covid-19 era: A critical review of ecotoxicology impacts, intervention strategies, and future challenges

“…Healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, and medical laboratories, are the region's primary generators of PPE waste ( Sangkham, 2020 ; Maalouf and Maalouf, 2021 ; Rajak et al, 2022 ). The increased use of PPE by healthcare professionals and patients during the pandemic has increased medical waste, including used PPE and face masks.…”

COVID-19 and environmental health: A systematic analysis for the global burden of biomedical waste by this epidemic

“…Many studies also show that the volume of medical waste increases rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research by Rahul Rajak et al, 2021 has shown that India's MW by the COVID-19 pandemic has reached 32,996 tons in only the last 6 months of 2020 [ 29 ]. The study by Olugbemi T Olaniyan et al pointed to the rapid increase in PPE and other biomedical wastes by the COVID-19 pandemic [ 30 ].…”

Biomedical Waste: Sources, Composition, Categories and Global Scenario with Reference to India- A Review

“…According to Rajak et al (2021), India has generated over 32,996 mt of COVID-19 waste between June and December 2020, of which Maharashtra (789.99 mt/month) is highest average generator of COVID-19 waste, followed by Kerala (459.86 mt/month), Gujarat (434.87 mt/month), Tamil Nadu (427.23 mt/month), Uttar Pradesh (371.39 mt/month), Delhi (358.83 mt/month) and West Bengal (303.15 mt/month). Bhalerao (2021) reported that India generated 56,898.4 tonnes of Covid-19 BMW between June 2020 and June 2021.…”