The Environmental Consequences of The Coronavirus Pandemic

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The Environmental Consequences of The Coronavirus Pandemic
by Ananya Passi \| 01-06-2022 04:16 0
THE AMOUNT OF BMW GENERATED According to the periodic report of CPCB of 2019, India, before the coronavirus epidemic, dealt with 619 tonnes of biomedical waste every single day, and on top of that, India dealt with 162 tonnes of covid-19 affiliated BMW in the November of 2020. Also, in the last six months of 2020, India produced tonnes of COVID- 19 affiliated BMW from June to November. This number has increased with more covid- 19 infections and fast- pacing vaccination drives. Hence The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has issued some new guidelines to deal with Covid- 19 affiliated BMW. Likewise, CPCB has also given separate policies for the disposal of Covid- 19 related BMWs from houses and public institutions. VACCINATION DRIVES With the government's aim to inoculate over a billion people in a matter of time, the amount of sharp waste produced will be enormous. According to the CSE report, the Covid- 19 vaccination drive in India has generated over 268 million needles and 18 million glass vials, all of which will be considered Covid- 19 affiliated biomedical waste. Also, at the end of the vaccination drive, India will generate over 1.3 billion needles and over 100 million glass vials. *INFRASTRUCTURE* With overflowing BMW, if there is a scarcity of infrastructure, it can lead to other issues like illegal dumping of BMW, which is extremely dangerous as it can cause environmental pollution and health hazards. Despite being the capital of India, Delhi has only 2 Common Biomedical Waste Treatment installations( CBWTFs). In light of that, the National Productivity Council( NAP) proposed the installation of two fresh CBWTFs, one of them to be located in the trans- Yamuna belt and the other in either South or Central Delhi. Also, CBWTFs have been installed in states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal. *SOME OF THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS* To deal with the enormous size of Covid- 19 affiliated BMW, a high-level task team ( HLTT) reviewed the situation across the country. Latterly, an online tracking app was developed by CPCB to track covid-19 BMW. The Supreme Court has made it obligatory for all state pollution control boards and municipal corporations to use the 'COVID19BWMAPP' for tracking biomedical waste daily. REFERENCES :biomedical-waste-management-in-india-still-a-looming-concern-63896 yearender-2020-stepping-into-2021-with-bio-medical-waste-management-lessons-from-covid-19-pandemic-54763 covid-19-waste-cpcb-new-guidelines-advise-households-to-cut-and-store-waste-masks-gloves-for-72-hours-before-disposing-of-47486 The challenge of medical waste management: Indias APPCB ...https://waste-management-world.com › the-challenge-o... MANAGING BIOMEDICAL WASTE IN INDIA - Centre for ...https://www.cseindia.org › downloadreports covid-19-delhis-bio-medical-waste-treatment-facilities-under-pressure-due-to-increased-load-46676

Dormant user Ananya Passi

3 Comments

Nayoung Kim says :
Thank you so much for the useful information!
Posted 02-08-2022 01:38

Chelwoon Mentor says :
Hello Ananya, this is your mentor Chelwoon.

I tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, so now I have a sore throat, a headache and a cough. We never know when it will end. I have always tried to reduce the use of plastic containers and plastic bags, but as for now, I have no choice but to use them frequently. I am living with my parents and I need to be kept in quarantine for one week, so whenever I eat or go to the bathroom, I should use plastic spoons and plastic gloves. I hope people in your country will be safe from COVID.

Thank you for the article!

Regards,
Chelwoon

Posted 10-06-2022 14:31

Joon Mentor says :
Hello Ananya, this is your mentor Joon.

Though there were some studies stating that negative environmental impacts that humans caused significantly reduced due to lockdowns, it is ironic to see the increase of Biomedical Wastes increase leading to further environmental damages. It was apparently not time for us to celebrate. At least there are some task forces existing to review about the issues and try to give out solutions about it. Hope India could be successful dealing with all the wastes discharged.

Well read your article, and let's keep up!

Best,

Joon
Posted 04-06-2022 18:43