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Renewable Research Journal
NEED OF INTEGRATED TRAINING FOR BIO-MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT IN
NASHIK DISTRICT,MAHARASHTRA, INDIA
COLONEL(RETD) RAJESH KUMAR SAXENA
Email Address; colsaxena1957@gmail.com
Mobile Number ; 09689549659
Introduction:
1.
Nashik District is very upcoming, and promising city not only in Maharashtra state but in
India. Recently, in a nation wide survey conducted on ABP NEWS channel, it has been declared as
the “ OVER ALL SECOND BEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY” lagging behind only Nagpur.
2.
Accordingly, it is an accepted fact that Nashik administration has been sincerely
endeavouring to be abreast in all indicators of development which make a city to be adjudged the
best. Waste management and its energy conversion has very recently become one of the very
important indices of which Nashik administration has taken notice of for key areas of development.
3.
Waste management has two components- that of managing the ‘generic’ waste comprising
household
wastage
and
bio
medical
waste
generated
exclusively
in
hospitals/clinics/laboratories/anganwadi centres etc. Management and handling of both types of
wastages is necessary and merits equal non-comparative importance.
4.
Luckily, Nashik Administration has been giving due weightage and concern to issue of
effective handling of both such types of wastes. It officially, completely and effectively started
operating the directions. Of “MSW rules (handling and management) 1998” almost from initial
stages of effectiveness of these directions of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). All
facilities after complete construction, and contracting etc became fully operational from start of this
century, ie 2001 onwards. ‘Ghanta gari’ concept of door to door collection of wastage became
very popular and many municipal corporations visited Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) in
early 2001 to Co-opt nuances of this mechanism.
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Nashik has large area and large number of hospital, clinics and such establishments which
generate bio-medical waste. From the following table one can gather how much bio-medical waste
must be generated daily in Nashik alone;-
DESCRIPTION
NUMBERS
Total number of beds available
8100
Private nursing homes dispensaries
752
Municipal hospitals
07
Municipal nursing homes
13
Municipal dispensaries
13
Leprosy unit
01
Leprosy centre
11
City primary health center
12
Mobile dispensaries
07
Sonography centers
04 (Govt.)
112 (Private)
Institutional Support:
6.
Following is the
institutional
Nashik
support
for
to
efficient
implementation of waste
Management:-
a)
Medical
University
Sciences,
of
Health
(MUHS)
Govt. Hospitals
02
ESIC hospitals
01
located in Nashik can be
Dispensaries(Govt)
10
contacted for any medico-
ISP hospitals
02
educational
Immunization Center
182
relating to the issue of
AIDS center
01
waste management.
b)
Nashik: The MUHS, being
support
Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC): NMC is politically very active administration.
NMC has two very senior officers directly responsible for waste management in the District.
Superintendent Engineer (SE) –Water Department, and Medical/ Health officer, both having
exclusive officers and staff within the administrative building of NMC, at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan in
heart of Nashik city. One corporator- incharge manages politico/financial/administrative issues of
this subject.
c)
Regional office of Maharashtra Pollution Control board(MPCB): MPCB office is also
situated in the city. It ensures “ breathing over the neck phenomenon” as far as monitoring issues
pertaining to various statutes on the subject are concerned.
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Khat Prakalp Nashik: This large organisation has exclusive domain for transporting ,
processing, and conversion of garbage into compost. The material for landfill is stored separately
and transported elsewhere. In this facility only the processing of household generic waste is
undertaken.
e)
Messers Watergrace Limited, Nashik: This is a Central Waste Treatment Facility
(CWTF) private agency involved in processing of bio-medical waste generated in District.
f)
Landfill facility at Rawalgaon, Nashik: The unwanted debris from Khat Prakalp is
transported to Rawalgaon about 40 km from main Nashik city centre. Here all the landfill activities
are undertaken.
7.
For ease of wastage handling, segregation, and transportation Nashik Distt has been divided
geographically into following six sectors each having a sanitary inspector, NMC representative incharge of wastage operations in his area of responsibility.
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Keeping financial and other resources constraint in mind the mechanism has been nicely
developed and functioning quite satisfactory.
Need for Integrated training:
9.
It is considered that integrated training is very important to achieve ‘holistic’ resolution of
the issues. In this paper it is therefore proposed to ink an integrated training model involving
various stakeholders to better the scenario of waste management in the city.
Various Stake Holders Their Roles, Training Imperatives/ Responsibilities and Co-ordination
Issues:
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Stakeholders:
`
Waste
management &
handling
Regional Office
MPCB
Sanitary Inspectors
from 6 regions
Hospitals/Labs/ Clinics/
Anganwari kendras:
1. Administrators
2. Doctors/ Nurses
3. waste handlers
Handlershandlers/ayas/war
dboys
Corporators /
Prabhag Incharge
Collector/ DM along
with public
Miscellaneous
1. Maharashtra University
of Health and Sciences
(MUHS)
2. NGOs
3. Prime and electronic
media
Khat prakalp
Ghantagari
Contractors
NMC
1. SE
2. Medical officer
Messers Water
Grace pvt. Ltd.
Land fill at
Rawalgoan,
Nasik
11.
Postulates for Integrated Training:
a)
It is important for all the stakeholders to understand that they are fingers of the same palm
and not different arms of same human being.
b)
Mutual trust and agreed transparency must co-exist amongst different stakeholders. The
degree of ‘agreement’ in transparency off shoots from ‘Need to know’ Principle and not why
should they know idea. At the end of each training capsule an educational visit must be organised
for all participants to all stake holders departments.
c)
Since, finances are the main speed breakers, integrated training must be responsibility of in-
charge at NMC.
d)
At least two centralised integrated training sessions per year and additional one every
quarter must be organised by every 6 divisions .
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Sufficient public awareness campaigns, and advertising must be centrally undertaken by
Nashik, collectorate, NMC and hospitals. Presently this area is ‘Zero’ addressed.
f)
Networking amongst stakeholders and important issues must be uploaded on websites of
Collectorate/NMC for consumption of Public.
g)
A handbook can be made on the lines of “Bio-medical Waste Management-self learning
Document for Doctors, Superintendents, Administrators” as prepared by Dr Razia Sultana, Project
Director Environment Protection Training and Research Institute(EPTRI), Hyderabad.
h)
It will not be going over board to suggest discussing details of budgets, internal audits and
encourage social audits by public at large. Here there may be need to involve NGOs to accept wider
role.
12. Place for Integrated Training: Khat Prakalp has exclusive building for training purposes. Six
monthly detailed integrated training can be organised there.
13.
NMC also has a central hall where centralised training sessions can be conducted. Most
large/ multi-speciality hospitals, it is presumed, will be having centralised place for training their
staff and will be imparting training. Many nursing schools are also interacting with hospitals for
‘intern’ training of nurses.
14.
It is suggested that centralised & integrated six-monthly capsules must be conducted under
auspices of NMC/ Collector. These can be of 3-4 days duration and cover the following aspects:a)
Latest Statutes by Central & State government agencies. For example, differences
between in-vogue MSW rules (management & handling) 1998 and new draft rules of
September 2011, along with views of participants.
b)
Progress/work done by different stakeholders so far/ since the last integrated training
capsule. Here detailed information must be mutually shared.
c)
Proposals by different stakeholders including their financial menifestations. After
brainstorming, these can be submitted to required agencies.
d)
Problems of different stakeholders and mutual resolution/settlements.
e)
Report sharing.
f)
Awareness campaigns/training capsules conducted quarterly by each stakeholder
and lessons learnt there from.
g)
Technical/ technological updates on different facilities/ issues in different
departments must be included to keep participants abreast.
h)
Mutual co- ordination issues between different stakeholders, co-opting lower level
staff is very necessary.
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Occupational hazards innate in nature of job specially ward boys, waste handlers,
ghantagari staff etc.
Advantages of such Integrated training:
15.
Knowledge about each other’s department details, ways of working, problems, work loads
etc are actually understood and apprehensions removed.
16.
Co-ordination achieves smooth functioning; paper work and complaints reduce.
17.
Establishments like MPCB, health officer, NMC are more seen as watchdogs/monitors and
not as complementary players in resolution of the issue.This will create a congenial mind set.
18.
Specially lower level staff like ayas/ ward boys/ waste handlers/ nurses- women/ poor
labour establish more rapport mutually with other workers and increase their own confidence. They
also establish more faith in their establishment and nature of work.
19.
Promulgation of awareness issues in general Public through this large workforce besides
formal campaigns by different departments/stake holders.
20.
Participants must be given certificates at the end of training capsule. Those involved in
imparting training can be thought of giving incentive in the form of ‘trainer allowance’. Those
academically sound and taking more interested can even be considered for out of turn promotions at
lower rungs.
Need to Enact Stricter Regulations:
21.
Rain water harvesting/ recycling mechanism is mandatory in the construction design of
residential dwelling units. In the same way, it must be ensured that each hospital/ city earmarks
exclusive space for storage of medical waste, segregation and internal transportation bays within
their building complexes.
22.
NMC/ Indian Medical Association (AMA) Nashik chapter, and contractors for waste
management must ensure colour coded containers/ bags for segregation.
23.
Medical safety regulations for waste handlers/ insurances are followed judiciously.
24.
Awareness campaigns must be started in a big way. Every hospital, clinic, garbage dump
areas must display sufficient posters, banners etc elucidating ill- effects of bio- medical waste
mismanagement. These must be displayed in prominent places. Like waiting places for patients &
relatives in OPDs / wards etc. This issue definitely needs specialised funding at Collectorate level.
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Potential in the issue:
25.
Municipal waste management has suddenly started gaining prominence not only due to
environmental/ sanitation issues but also due to the fact that it imbibes immense business potential
in it.
26.
Reading the writing on the wall Honourable Finance Minister in his budget speech on 28th
Feburary 2013 has earmarked separate and sufficient funds for energy generation from waste
management.
27.
Honble Chief Minister of Gujarat Sri Narendra Modi also in his address in Aaj Tak TV
NEWS channel during India Today Conclave on 16 March 2013 specially highlighted business
potential that waste management industry kernels inside it. He advocated composting waste and
selling to farmers. Farmers will have cheaper and non-chemical option to increase their crop output.
He also suggested that this will off-set subsidy on fertilisers since large quantities of compost can
be made from waste generated. This undoubtedly has large business potential.
Dynamics of Training:
26. One issue which may bother some of the stakeholders is about this new ‘jimmewari’ of training
and that too integrated training. Government establishments generally work under ‘red tape-ism’
and water tight compartments. Under the garb of security even small details like wastage collection
data will never be given correct since finances and efficiency both are directly related with figures
after decimals as well.
29 This apprehension about additional training loads needs to be discarded by each and every
stakeholder even before taking first step in this direction of integrated training. Over protracted
period, the mechanism of integrated training will get routine and accepted by every one. Not many
changes have to be made in the 4 –day training curriculum, once made. It is generally the
dynamics of figures indicating progress which will need to be amended and communicated.
Dynamics therefore will not be an extra burden but assist in smooth transition.
CONCLUSION:
30
A normal citizen in Nasik is not aware as to how much of integrated training is presently
undertaken with regard to waste management in Nashik. Therefore, this suggestion is ORIGINAL
and even naïve. Awareness campaign for public and waste handlers particularly needs special
emphasis and immediate action even if integrated training does not take off for the time being.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES
1.
ABP News Survey results live telecast 8pm onwards on 20 March 2013.
2.
Official Document of Nasik Municipal Corporation(NMC) on Status of Bio-Medical Waste
Management in Nashik-2011.
3.
Dr Razia Sultana, (2011)medical Waste Management-self learning Document for Doctors,
Superintendents, Administrators”
3.
Nashik Mahanagarpalika, Nashik- Khat Prakalp ghan kachra vyavasthapan. Mahiti tippani.
An information manual in Marathi.
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