Medical Waste Illegally Dumped in Kolkata, India

The state pollution control board in Kolkata, India has lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against a person who operated an illegal biomedical waste dump in Chowbaga, South 24 Parganas and used to sell the waste from large private hospitals and nursing homes in the city as plastic scrap to another trader, reported The Statesman. The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) is currently running an internal audit against the private hospitals and nursing homes whose biomedical waste was allegedly being dumped there. Mr Shyamal Adhikari, senior environment engineer (waste management cell) of the WBPCB, said that on their way to Bantala, near Koraidanga, they spotted more than 200 bags carrying medical waste dumped on a plot of land. With the help of locals, Mr Basudev Bhowmick, who had been operating the illegal dump, was called for cross-examination. The FIR was lodged against him at the Tiljala police station. It is claimed that he had rented land at Chowbaga from a local resident, Mr Benu, for a rent of Rs 700 per month ($15 per month). According to The Statesman, he was receiving biomedical waste from different persons whose names he declined to disclose. The waste was being received in sacks and bags carried by rickshaw, and local women were employed to retrieve syringes and other recyclable plastic items. The bags were yellow (human anatomical waste), blue (waste such as syringes and gloves), pink and black in colour. The bags carried logo of a local biomedical waste treatment facility. The syringes were being sold at Rs 40 per kg (85 cents per kg) to a person who sells plastic materials to other traders. Bhowmick also said that bio-medical waste is sent to Mathpukur area for sorting. While SembRamky officials denied dumping biomedical waste there, Mr Biswajit Mukherjee, chief law officer of WBPCB, said that an internal audit would see how bags carrying SembRamky logo came to be dumped there. "The waste was being dumped on the corporation land and a local ruffian was guarding the spot. The waste was being sold at Rs 250 per bag ($5.35 per bag). We cannot disclose the names of the city hospitals we suspect," said Mukherjee.