ABSTRACT
Generation of biomedical waste (BMW) is unavoidable, especially during a pandemic. Improper management of BMW adversely impacts health, well-being and the environment. There is a strong relation between Human Development Index (HDI), and health related waste management (Caniato, et al., 2015) which makes this study very relevant in a highly globalised world. Literature shows that developing countries are not efficient in handling medical waste, when compared to developed countries where institutions are stronger (Khan, et al., 2019). India, a developing country with the largest population in the world, could not escape this problem. During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, around 22 Indian states generated BMW more than their treatment capacity. This serves as a reminder of the burden the pandemic-generated waste has placed on the country’s already struggling bio-medical waste management system. Growth of BMW during the pandemic in India was found 134to be consistent with the “a priori” explanation of medical waste increasing as the number of cases rise during pandemics and other medical contagions. An analysis of the BMW generated in the 10 most COVID-19 affected Indian states from June 2020 to June 2021 showed that the states with the highest number of Covid cases, generated higher amounts of BMW. As per the authors’ calculations of the BMW generated (in tonnes/day) and per day treatment capacity of the Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment Facilities (CBWTFs) in tonnes/day, we see that except for Kerala and Delhi, the top 10 states generated waste well within their treatment capacity. But the truth is far from reality as most states exhausted their capacity by June 2021. Hence, this chapter can help policymakers in analysing the issue of management of BMW during a health hazard in the future which is crucial at present in formulating actions and policies for effective management of BMW.
