Coronavirus | India witnesses Surge in COVID 19-related biomedical waste

The average monthly generation increased to 139 tonnes per day in April from 75 tonnes in March

The average generation of COVID 19-related biomedical waste in the country shot up from 75 tonnes per day in March to 203 tonnes per day in May following the spike in pandemic cases, according to estimates by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The average monthly generation increased to 139 tonnes per day in April from 75 tonnes in March. As on May 10, the corresponding figure was 203 tonnes per day. “Peak generation of about 250 tonnes per day was reported on May 10. The earlier peak in the year 2020 was in the range of 180 to 220 tonnes per day,” as per the estimates by the CPCB. Despite a spike in the number of patients, there was no proportional growth in the quantity of COVID-related biomedical waste generated owing to the proper segregation of waste. Unlike last year, hospitals and isolation wards were not mixing food waste with COVID-waste according to the feedback from the Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facilities across the country, it said.