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Blatant disregard
FROM PAGE 5
He, however, said, “We are encouraging clinic owners to dispose of medical waste through the private company. We held a meeting with the city corporation officials and Nobo Waste to settle the matter.” He hoped the crisis would be resolved by this month.
When asked why they do not have their own arrangement, he said no healthcare facility in the city could afford such a disposal plant.
Mehdi Hasan, executive officer of Nexus Hospital, said a discussion is ongoing with Nobo Waste to dispose of waste.
Prof Dr Motiur Rahman Bhuiyan, one of the owners of Liberty Hospital, echoed the same.
When asked what actions are being taken against errant healthcare facilities, Mymensingh Civil Surgeon Dr ABM Moshiul Alam said they repeatedly issue notices to them, but to no avail.
The activity of Department of Environment also seemed to be limited to issuing notices as well, which became evident while speaking to Farid Ahmed, director of the department in Mymensingh division.
City Mayor Ekramul Haque Titu said it is becoming a huge challenge to manage three tonnes of medical waste produced from hospitals and clinics daily. Every healthcare centre is individually responsible for properly disposing of its medical waste, he said.
“The MCC has no expertise on how to manage toxic medical waste,” said the mayor.
Admitting that they are managing such waste in a “traditional system”, the mayor also said it is urgent to go for a modern treatment plant.
This correspondent also visited several private hospitals at Charpara area, where unsorted medical waste dumped was found in one or two bins inside the hospitals.
Golam Maula, managing director of Vision Clinic and Diagnostic Centre, said they keep medical waste in two drums and their sweepers store those near MMCH for city corporation trucks to collect.
Mujibur Rahman, manager director of Islam Hospital, said they put medical waste in three drums and their cleaners collect those daily. He, however, could not say where the waste go.
Expressing concern over the issues, Shibbir Ahmed Liton, a local green activist, said until the healthcare facilities can afford waste treatment plant, they must go through the garbage management company’s process. “They should be able to afford Tk 2,000-3,000 per month.”
COMPANY’S CONCERNS
Nobo Waste Managing Director Abul Hasnat Epu said, “So far, only 41 private hospitals and clinics are taking this service from us. Even though this initiative is a must to save the environment, we are also running a business. We have to think about profit as well.”
“We already incurred a loss of Tk 10 lakh. If such a situation persists, we will have to think about something else,” said Epu.
The company official said they have already assured the hospital and clinic owners of collecting all sorts of waste and urged them to discuss the issue of “reasonable” service charge with them.
SITUATION AT MOILAKANDA
Garbage from almost all healthcare centres -- including MMCH -- are being piled up on the dumping ground, creating health and environmental hazards. The area is home to hundreds of people.
Locals said waste is also spilling out of the unenclosed area, affecting the adjacent cropland.
Noor Mohammad, a farmer from Char Kalibari, said, “I am facing a serious setback in production due to land infertility.”
“The saplings of my boro seed bed on 10-decimal land became unusable this year,” said the 70-year-old.
Similarly, Shafiqul Islam said he has been incurring loss in mustard cultivation for last two years. Another mustard farmer Abdul Malek echoed the same.
Besides, putrid stench is turning the area uninhabitable. Mukta Akter and Suborna Akter, two sixth-graders at a local school, said often times they lose appetite due to the malodour.
Dr Ranjan Kumar Majumder, a retired medicine specialist from MMCH, said people living in the area are at risk of being affected with diseases like asthma, diarrhoea, allergies and eye irritation.
During monsoon, rainwater mixed with waste float towards the Old Brahmaputra river that is in close proximity to the dumping ground, said Shibbir Ahmed Liton, secretary of Mymensingh Poribesh Rokhha o Unnayan Andolon.
This malpractice has to be stopped to protect the waterbody from pollution, he said. “The authorities must take initiative to dispose of medical waste properly. They also need to take strict measures against healthcare facilities for not following the rules,” Liton stressed.