Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 20 February 2025
Healthcare facilities across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the Biomedical Waste Management (BMWM) Rules, 2016. Authorities have emphasized the need for both government and private healthcare facilities to adhere to the prescribed guidelines to ensure safe and effective waste management.
As per Schedule II of the BMWM Rules, 2016, along with its subsequent amendments, healthcare facilities are required to comply with the following key provisions:
• Installation of Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS): Health facilities equipped with captive incinerators must install OCEMS and ensure real-time data transmission to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) server.
• Authorization of Deep Burial Pits: Existing deep burial pits must be authorized and designed in accordance with the prescribed standards outlined under Schedule II, Sr. No. 5, of the BMWM Rules, 2016.
• Compliance with Liquid Waste Standards: Healthcare facilities must adhere to the prescribed limits for liquid waste disposal under the BMWM Rules, 2016, and its amendments.
◦ Facilities with in-house treatment plants or those not connected to public sewer systems must comply with the discharge limits specified in Schedule II, S. No. 08.
◦ Healthcare facilities discharging into public sewers with terminal treatment plants must follow the general standards set under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
◦ Smaller facilities with less than ten beds must adhere to the output discharge standards under Schedule II, S. No. 8.
◦ Non-bedded healthcare facilities must disinfect infectious liquid waste before disposal, as per Schedule-II (6) of the BMWM Rules, 2016.
Healthcare establishments in the region have been urged to ensure strict compliance with these regulations to prevent environmental hazards and safeguard public health. The detailed guidelines can be accessed at: CPCB Guidelines.