Nagaland is among six Northeast states where healthcare facilities continue to use deep burial for biomedical waste, according to a compliance report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), PTI reported.
The other Northeast states are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
The NGT on August 5 directed the CPCB to ensure compliance with the Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016, after taking note of violations found during a review of biomedical waste disposal practices across 17 states and Union Territories.
According to the CPCB report, 9,178 healthcare facilities in the 17 states and UTs were using deep burial for biomedical waste. Of these, 6,375 facilities were inspected by the respective State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees, while 5,715 were found to be fully compliant.
The report found deficiencies in several areas. The highest number, 477, related to groundwater protection.
Other deficiencies included lack of authorisation for burial sites in 341 facilities, improper location of pits in 316 facilities, inadequate record maintenance in 253 facilities, failure to prevent animal access in 229 facilities and improper covering of waste with soil in 216 facilities.
The CPCB informed the tribunal that the concerned pollution control authorities had been asked to take corrective action.
It also told the NGT that if compliance is not achieved within eight weeks, directions under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, would be issued against defaulting states and healthcare facilities.
The tribunal has directed the CPCB to file a fresh compliance report at least a week before the next hearing on October 28.
The 17 states and UTs covered by the CPCB review are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
(With PTI inputs)
