NGT notes Nagaland lacks biomedical waste treatment facility, with healthcare units relying on deep burial despite regulatory safeguards.
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DIMAPUR — The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has noted that Nagaland continues to lack a Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF), with healthcare institutions in the state resorting to deep burial pits for disposal of biomedical waste.
During a hearing on August 18, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted its compliance affidavit, disclosing the status of biomedical waste (BMW) generation and treatment facilities across the country.
According to the affidavit, Nagaland generates 1.04 tonnes of biomedical waste per day. In the absence of a CBWTF, two healthcare facilities (HCFs) in the state are running captive incinerators, while 614 HCFs continue to use deep burial pits to manage biomedical waste.
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The tribunal, chaired by Justice Prakash Shrivastava, observed that deep burial is permitted only as a temporary measure under the Bio-Medical Waste Rules, 2016, until proper treatment facilities are established.
The affidavit outlined nine mandatory safeguards for deep burial, including ensuring impermeable burial sites, maintaining a groundwater table six metres below the pit, preventing animal access, and authorisation of sites by prescribed authorities.
However, the NGT noted that the CPCB representative present during the hearing could not clarify whether the board monitors compliance with these safeguards in states and Union Territories where deep burial is still practiced.
The bench further remarked that while India generates about 719 tonnes of biomedical waste daily, the treatment capacity available is 1,592 tonnes per day, suggesting that utilisation and compliance need closer scrutiny. Several states and Union Territories were also found to have not furnished complete information to the CPCB.
The tribunal directed the CPCB to file a fresh affidavit within four weeks addressing the gaps in information, compliance, and monitoring, before listing the matter for November 10.