Hospitals flout pollution norms in Bhubaneswar

The Times of India , Saturday, November 15, 2014
Correspondent : Riyan Ramanath V
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) on Friday revealed that 18 hundred-bed hospitals in the city had not set up mandatory effluent treatment plants (ETP) or sewerage treatment plants (STP).

In March, the pollution control board had made it mandatory for hospitals with 100 beds to set up both STPs and ETPs. There are a total of 22 100-bed hospitals in the city. Earlier, the pollution control board had not laid down specific guidelines to include 100-bed hospitals for setting up the plants to check water and air pollution. Before March, it only used to provide authorization certificates to run the hospitals.

According to the board, of the four 100-bed hospitals that had set up the mandatory plants, the ETP of one hospital, a private one, was defunct.

"Both private and government hospitals have been under the 'consent' administration of the board since March 11, 2014. According to consent administration, the hospitals will have to apply for consent to establish and operate and they will have to set up STP and ETP under Water (Prevention and Control Of Pollution) Act, 1974," said OSPCB regional officer Hadibandhu Panigrahi.

He said that three months after the decision, the pollution control board had shot off letters to the hospitals, three of them government ones, to apply for consent and file the status report on setting up of ETP and STP, but only five hospitals responded. "None of the government hospitals have responded to our letter," said Panigrahi.

A board official said that absence of STP leads to unhygienic conditions with wastewater generated from operation theatres, ICUs and casualty wards spreading pollution on the hospital premises. The wastewater includes body fluids and blood.

On August 17, the board revealed that SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, also didn't have an ETP. "Wastewater released from the hospitals should be treated and then discharged. But, untreated water is still being discharged from the hospital," revealed a board official.

"We will call the hospital authorities for personal appearance in the board office to explain why they didn't respond to the board's letter. Then they would be given ultimatums to set up the plants," said a senior OSPCB official.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Hospitals-flout-pollution-norms-in-Bhubaneswar/articleshow/45155761.cms
 


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