Management of Bio‐Medical Wastes during COVID‐19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Haryana State

Abstract

Management of biomedical waste (BMW) is important for a healthy and safe environment. In order to guarantee cleanliness and hygiene, BMW must be collected, disposed of, and handled appropriately. The world is being affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic, which has spread to various countries. The COVID‐19 pandemic has increased the volume of BMW production, created challenges for both the central and state pollution control boards (SPCB). During this pandemic, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change (CPCB) devised and implemented various guidelines and standards for proper BMW management. The number of common biomedical waste treatment facilities (CBMWTFs) has risen, and several states and private institutions have built their own BMW treatment facilities. Despite this, some countries do not have enough infrastructures for biomedical waste management (BMWM). Haryana is responsible for a significant percentage of the COVID‐related BMW generation. Despite the fact that the state possesses 11 CBMWTFs, it is unable to handle this BMW properly. Thus, the finding of this study showed that in some Indian states including Haryana, there are insufficient institutional systems for managing biomedical and hazardous wastes during pandemic situations. The study is based on the examination of data on BMW generation and management. The data have been collected from legitimate sources including scientific literatures and annual reported from government websites. The findings are expected to provide the reader with relevant information on the suitability and efficiency of the whole BMW management framework in India.