Deadline after deadline over, majority of health facilities in Punjab yet to install ETPs – ET HealthWorld
Chandigarh: Nearly 43 months after issuing directions to all healthcare facilities to install effluent treatment plants (ETPs) for treating chemical-based liquid effluent and sewage generated by them, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) appears to have achieved little success in getting them to do it.
The initial deadline for compliance was June 30, 2020, but the pollution board has so far failed to completely enforce the directions, despite giving repeated extensions. Of the total private health facilities in the state, about 70 per cent are small and medium size set-ups, and have been expressing helplessness in conforming to norms due to space and financial constraints.
As per the official record, in Jalandhar, only 44 health centres out of 447 in 13 MCs, which account for nearly 10 per cent of the total number, have so far installed ETPs while 308 out of 374 facilities in Amritsar are functioning without the treatment setup. The count of units that are not following the norms stands at 271 in Mohali, 258 in Barnala, 197 in Nawanshahr, 181 in Gurdaspur, 177 in Hoshiarpur, 158 in Sangrur, 129 in Ropar, 108 in Moga, 98 in Kapurthala, 96 in Mansa, 94 in Pathankot, 91 in Muktsar, 72 in Fazilka, 70 in Fatehgarh Sahib and 10 in Patiala.
The hospitals term the requirement as impractical, especially for small setups as they discharge less than 100 kilolitres per day and most of it is similar to domestic liquid waste.
A delegation of the Punjab chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) led by president Dr Bhagwant Singh on Wednesday held a meeting with officials of the PPCB and special secretary science and technology to apprise them about issues being faced by the private healthcare faculties in installing the treatment plant. “Had a very conducive meeting with officials and made them aware about our difficulties. We are hopeful that they will take into account our genuine concerns,” said Dr Bhagwant Singh.
IMA has been urging the pollution board to waive the need to get their liquid waste tested and allow them to discharge waste into municipal sewers after prior treatment with 1 per cent sodium hypochlorite as they have been doing till now as per the rules.
PPCB chairman Prof Adarsh Pal Vig said that they have given the health care facilities enough time to follow norms of the central ministry of environment, forest and climate change and they will start initiating action against those who will continue to flout the norms.
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