The biomedical waste disposal plant at MKCG in Berhampur and (right) waste gathered on the medical college campus. Pictures by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, Dec. 29: Two biomedical waste disposal plants at MKCG Medical College and Hospital and City Hospital continue to remain non-functional.

The MKCG plant, which was set up in 2005, has been lying defunct since the landfall of Phailin on October 12 and the other at City Hospital is yet to be operational though a building was built in 2002 for the purpose. Though lakhs of rupees had been spent on purchasing autoclubs and shredders, which were even installed in the City Hospital complex in 2005, the plant does not function because of a stricture of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board.

“The biomedical waste disposal plant at City Hospital cannot be launched, as according to the board’s provision, two plants cannot run at a distance between 50km,” said hospital manager Leena Kar.

Incidentally, the distance between MKCG and City Hospital plants is around 4km. Though the building for the plant was constructed in 2002, its machineries were procured in 2005 and the board imposed restrictions on the City Hospital plant as the MKCG plant was established a few months ago the same year, she said.

“Phailin have damaged the chimney and the plant’s treatment facilities, including incinerator, microwave and shredder, and the entire process has come to a standstill,” said MKCG hospital superintendent Ashok Kumar Behera.

The cyclone damaged nearly 60ft of the 80ft chimney. The plant is expected to function from February, Behera said.

“Before Phailin, two tonnes of medical waste are being generated from 40 indoor wards and 40 outdoor wards of MKCG every month. Similarly, another one tonne of medical waste is being generated per month from Berhampur City Hospital and other private nursing homes and diagnostic centres. We were disposing three tonnes of medical waste every month. But now, the waste is being buried under a 3ft-deep ditch near the plant site on the MKCG premises. We are filling it with disinfectants, including bleaching powder and salt,” said an employee of Lifeline Pharma, the private organisation that is managing the task. “We collect the waste from various points through buckets and carts,” he said.

Deputy superintendent of City Hospital Saroj Mishra said the plant was now secondary, as the government had employed a private firm for medical waste management in Berhampur.

It collects waste from MKCG, City Hospital and all private nursing homes here.