CHENNAI: Biomedical waste dumped a week ago in the suburbs of Chennai has still not been fully removed by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, even after activists raised a complaint when it was first spotted July 25.
Pughalvendhan V, an activist who rallies against open dumping of bio-medical waste, spotted the pile of waste including syringes, tablets, syrup bottles, at the bunds of Mannivakkam Lake near Vandalur, alongside the Outer Ring Road.
"I immediately raised a complaint to the local TNPCB engineer. I went again on August 1 to check, the waste remained there as it was,'' Pughalvendhan said. He added that he had also raised a complaint to Chengalpattu district collector as well.
Photos and videos shared to The New Indian Express highlights that the waste has now been buried in the lake bunds because of the recent rains. Some of the waste has also slid down to the lake side, which could possibly result in contamination of the water.
Pughalvendhan said that the bio-medical waste can come from clinics or labs nearby. "Many people are taking blood samples in private labs nearby. Syringes used for taking blood samples generally are also spotted,'' he said, adding that when this is the case, such open-dumping can lead to a big health hazard or infection.
As per the TNPCB's Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016, the biomedical waste should be disposed off at the nearest waste treatment facility within 48 hours.
It is mandated that a Healthcare Facility (HCF) should be registered to a treatment facility within 75 kilometre radius.
Such norms are, however, not being followed and enforcement too does not take place. The New Indian Express has reported such instances of open dumping for more than a dozen times, and in Vandalur itself, this is the sixth time now.
TNPCB officials said that bio-medical waste is burned completely sometimes, thus making them unable to identify the distributor. "Once in Nazarathpet, we had warned a local medicine manufacturer about dumping waste in a cricket ground. We will identify who did this and take action,'' the official said.
Another issue about enforcement is that, if the seal of the drugs is opened, it comes under the jurisdiction of the TNPCB to take action, while if the seal is not opened, it comes under the State Drug Department.
Drug department officials said that complaints often come to them when the drugs are actually ''used or burnt waste''. "We forward the complaint to TNPCB and it is upto them to take action,'' a top official said.