Impact of Biomedical Waste on Cuttack City

Abstract

Waste generated from health care centres and its management are emerging issues in India. The improper management of such wastes has adverse impact on health and environment. Though these wastes constitute a small portion of the total waste but very special handling , treatment and disposal are needed to manage such wastes because of their highly toxic and infectious nature. There are seven major specialized government hospitals in Cuttack City. According to the Chief District Medical Officer, Cuttack there are 131 registered and more than 300 unregistered nursing homes, clinics, pathology and diagnostics centres also which generate huge quantity of biomedical wastes. Most of the health care centres of the City are either dumping the wastes in the municipal bins or Mahanadi river and Taladanda canal side or hand over the waste to the unauthorised private parties. This is ultimately collected by rag pickers for reuse.Unlawful disposal of these wastes by healthcare cenres can contribute to the spread of serious diseases such as hepatitis, AIDS (HIV) and other deadly diseases. The present study focuses upon the management practice followed in Cuttack City by the Hospitals and and large number of other health care centres and the impact of biomedical waste on environment. According to the study ,the unethical open dumping and unsegregaed mixed biomedical waste were found in municipal bins is a serious health hazards for rag pickers and also to the hospital staff and the public. The study also found that wastes generated from the radio diagonostics centres, and the laboratory units disposed off directly into the municipal sewer without proper disinfection of pathogens, ultimately flowing to the river Mahanadi and Kathajodi and also to the Taladanda canal through various drains of the city. The results of the study showed that there is an adverse impact of the biomedical wastes on Cuttack city due to mismanagement which needs strict enforcement of laws and other legal provisions for better environmental management system for the disposal of biomedical waste in order to bring back congenial and healthy environment for city dwellers.