Commission seeks details of waste disposal system at public hospitals

The judicial commission probing the province’s water and sanitation problems issued on Wednesday notices to the medical superintendent for federal government-run hospitals to appear in person to submit a report on the procedure for disposal of hospital waste.

The commission headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro is investigating reasons for non-provision of clean drinking water to Sindh’s citizens and the overall poor sanitary and environment conditions of the province.

At yesterday’s hearing, Additional Secretary Health Jamaluddin appeared in person and filed a statement with details regarding schemes planned for water supply to government hospitals and disposal of hospital waste all throughout the province. The commission granted two days time – till February 3 – to the industries secretary to submit a comprehensive report regarding the mode and manner of disposal of industrial effluent all over Sindh. The report would include details pertaining to the role and responsibility of the department concerned, the resources utilised for monitoring the disposal process, operational financial details, and briefs on action taken against any industry for violating laws regulating disposal of industrial effluent.

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board’s deputy managing director submitted there was water pilferage from main supply lines in districts West and Malir. He stated that teams had ascertained that the miscreants were constantly changing the points where they puncture the main lines.

The official assured the commission that the KWSB administration was taking action to end the practice at the earliest.

Similarly, a representative of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency submitted that treatment plants have been installed in 76 industrial units in Karachi and 32 in units around the province. He said that for an effective crackdown on industries violating environmental protection laws, sincere assistance was required from district administrations and the police force.

A day earlier, the judicial commission had issued show cause notices to secretary industries and additional secretary health for not complying with the commission’s orders. They were told to submit their respective replies today.

 Additional secretary health Jamaluddin was directed by the commission to submit details of water supply schemes for province’s government hospitals and their waste management system. He was also directed to submit a breakdown of expenditures incurred on the waste disposal system by the department for hospitals over the last five years. Whether hospital waste management rules, 2014 were abided by in letter and spirit or not, by both the government and private hospitals, was also asked to be looked into.

The commission observed that the secretary industries was also directed to submit a comprehensive report on January 30 regarding the mode and manner of waste disposal followed by industries all over Sindh, roles and responsibility of the department looking after the waste disposal system.