Covid may lose sting soon but humps of Covid waste will haunt for decades
India Today
Although the Covid-19 may soon lose its sting, the medical waste it has generated and continues to generate could take decades to decompose.
The coronavirus may lose its sting in the near future, but the medical waste it has already generated and continues to leave behind may take decades to decompose. Globally, close to 38.5 crore people have so far been infected, and around 57 lakh people have lost their lives. The unprecedented magnitude of the infection led to the manufacture of an extraordinary volume of masks, protective equipment, vaccines and related paraphernalia, and testing kits. Valuable as they have been in checking the further spread of the virus, these products have added significantly to the medical waste generated across the world.
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A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assessment of five Asian cities showed that the pandemic increased the amount of hazardous healthcare waste by 3.4 kg/bed/day, which is almost 10 times more than the average.
“The Covid-19 pandemic led to a double burden of an increase in waste plus a reduced capacity of healthcare workers to manage waste because of increased patient loads, Covid-19 work and societal constraints,” said a report by the WHO.
In a span of one year from June 2020 to June 2021 India alone generated 56,898 tonnes of Covid-related medical waste. While Maharashtra contributed the maximum 8,317 tonnes to this bio-medical waste, Kerala and Gujarat were the second and third highest contributors, according to a reply in Lok Sabha on July 23, 2021.
In order to manage the Covid-related waste being generated, the Central Pollution Control Board in India produced a set of guidelines in 2020. However, waste management has been particularly challenging in remote and rural areas where there are limited waste treatment and disposal facilities. In several such areas, the waste was allowed to be disposed of in landfills and deep burial as an exception.
As per the WHO, up to 340 crore single-use masks were discarded every day in 2020. Similarly, PPE kits, vaccine vials, testing kits and other medical items added to the medical waste around the globe. Some of them are hazardous while others are not. However, the infrastructure required to manage such waste is a challenge.
